


Happy New Year, Clay and Justin Jensen....

by RealDaveofDaves



Series: The Maze of Moments - A Clay and Justin Story [13]
Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Big Brother Clay, Big brother Justin, Brotherhood, Brotherly Love, Caretaker Justin, Crossover, Family Feels, Foreshadowing, Friendship, Hurt Clay, Little Brother Clay, Little Brother Justin, Major Character Injury, New Year's Eve, New Years, Protective Justin, Rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-09-29 09:16:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17200784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RealDaveofDaves/pseuds/RealDaveofDaves
Summary: 2018 comes to a close, and 2019 is ushered in....and not in the way Justin and Clay would have expected...





	1. Prologue

 

**Tuesday, January 1, 2019 - 12:01am**

 

Fireworks shot overhead, signaling the start of the New Year. As he lay there in the dark, the temperature getting colder, he shivered and brought his arms around himself again, tucking his hands into the sleeves. He would have done the same with his legs, maybe bring them up and under himself to try and stay warm, since he was wearing running shorts. His left leg throbbed, though, and his right ankle hurt too much to even try and do that. The leg hurt because that was where the car had clipped him. He didn't see the driver. All he knew was that it was some older model beat up piece of shit, it hit his leg, and there he went, tumbling down the side.

Quickly.

Hard.

At least it wasn't broken, he reasoned. After all, he could move it around. It just really, really hurt. Probably a deep muscle bruise.

His ankle...well, that was a little more difficult to figure out. The best he could come up with is that it caught on something on the way down and he rolled it. It couldn't have been sprained, it had to be broken. If it was just a sprain, then maybe, just maybe, he would have been able to drag his sorry and beat up looking ass back up to the roadside. If not that, then maybe try and find his phone, wherever it wound up.

Oh. Wait. It was probably busted. So much for that idea, anyway.

His head hurt, too. Probably hit it against something on the way down. Concussion number two in a series, collect them all? Maybe. After all, he started to hear the echo of a locker slamming shut - or, was that his head being bashed into it? - on and off awhile ago now.

Oh, hi, PTSD. Nice to see you, too.

Well, if he had to die, then, he supposed, this was a decent place to do it. Outdoors, in the cold night air. Maybe some animal would come by and put him out of his misery.

Were there wild animals out here? Probably. Northern California and all. He hoped he'd make a nice snack. Justin would appreciate the macabre humor in that: Clay Jensen - tasty treat for a mountain lion or some shit.

Six months. Or was it closer to seven? Half the year at any rate. The second half. It was good. Not great - there had been a few things here and there, like the whole situation with Amber - but pretty fucking good, all in all. But, it was ending like this? Like he was trapped in some sick and twisted Mobius strip? Well, that just figured. Perfect ending to 2018, just perfect. He remembered reading in AP US History that at the end of 1968, when the clock turned 11:59, Hubert H. Humphrey had said he went and flushed the toilet, because it seemed to be the appropriate ending to that awful year.

No toilets around now, not here at the bottom slope of this goddamn big ass fucking hill.

Someone else was around though. Had been through it all.

_Clay. Clay, listen to me..._

"I have been listening to you."

_Well, listen some more then. I know this is hard, but you HAVE to stay awake._

"It's so cold....I'm sleepy...."

_I know you are, but you CAN'T go to sleep. Understand me?_

"It just figures, doesn't it?"

_What figures?_

"I'm the one who started all this running bullshit, and in the end it got me killed."

_Clay....you're NOT going to die. They're going to find you._

A couple tears ran down Clay's cheeks. He would have reached up to wipe them off, but that would mean he'd have to take his hands out of his sleeves. Better to let them just keep on flowing.

"My foot really hurts. So does my leg...."

_I know they do..._

"...and so does my head. Fuck, everything hurts!"

He was full on crying now.

_Hey...come on, it's going to be all right..._

"I don't want to die out here!"

_I know you don't. You WON'T._

"This is SO unfair. After all of the bullshit this year, things were finally starting to get better, and now look what happened...."

_Clay...Clay, calm down. You have to stay calm._

"Of all the stupid fucking ways to die! At least I wasn't on my bike this time..."

_You. Are. NOT. Going. To. Die. Hey. Remember when Justin was sick this summer, and he thought he was going to die, and you kept telling him he wasn't?_

"Y-yeah?"

_What do you think he would be telling you right now if he was here?_

"T-that I should've just stayed home and worked it out with Sheri and not be a dumbass and go off all upset..."

_Okay, well...yeah, so there's that...but what ELSE do you think he'd tell you?_

"That....that I'm not gonna die out here."

_That's right. And you're not going to._

"You sound pretty sure of that."

_Justin will find you. I bet he's out there looking right now._

"You...you think so?"

_Have you met Justin? You get so much as a splinter and he flips the fuck out over you._

"This is the same shithead who thought a spider was going to eat him or something a couple weeks ago."

_Well...okay, but this is different. Sit up.  
_

"Are you fucking crazy?"

_Sit the fuck up. Bring your left leg under you, slowly, then bend your right leg and bring it as close to you as you can. Try and keep your foot elevated.  
_

Clay sighed and sat up a little, sniffling. "I hurt everywhere."

_You took some really hard bumps down that hill. Now come on. Sit up.  
_

Moaning from the aches and pains - he really did take a hard fall down the hill, and he was sure bruises had already formed on various parts of his torso - Clay sat upright and, gritting his teeth, crossed his left leg. Then, slowly, did the same with his right, hissing from the throbbing in his right foot. "Goddammit! Owww...this really hurts!"

_I know it does. Now hunch over yourself some...yeah, like that. Little better?  
_

"A....a little bit. This is not how I expected to ring in the New Year."

_That makes two of us._

"I'm supposed to be at a stupid party now, and kissing Sheri. Assuming she still isn't pissed at me."

_She won't be. You'll kiss her later._

Clay looked up and saw more fireworks in the distance.

"Well. Happy fucking New Year, psyche of mine."

_Happy New Year, Clay._

"Let's hope it isn't our last."

_It won't be, come on now. He's coming to find you._

"I hope so."

Clay rocked back and forth a little, crying again.

"Come on Justin. JJ. Hawk. Please...."

 

_To be continued...._

 

* * *

 


	2. Should Auld Acquaintance.....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Clay gets into a rather nasty predicament. What a way to end the year....

 

**Monday, December 31, 2018 - New Years Eve  
**

Unlike Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, there was no Justin to wake Clay up early that morning, and he could sleep in blissfully. The brothers each worked a shift the night before, and since Justin got home a little later, he had slept in also. It was the last day of 2018, and it was going to be a great one. A party to ring in the New Year had been planned with the Gang, with parents and siblings and significant others invited to join in the festivities at Jensen Central. Matt and Lainie had been a tad reluctant at first, seeing as how they had hosted Friendsgiving and Friendsmas, but after some discussion with the boys - more like pleading and negotiating - it was agreed to, with the caveat that there be limited alcohol consumption by the Gang, if any, and under supervision at that. This made sense to Clay especially. So, seeing as how this was the first holiday season with Justin as a part of the family, making the hat trick at their home? Well, that was just a logical conclusion. Once Clay sweetened the deal by mentioning that the parents and others should be asked also, well that settled it in Lainie's eyes. All of this discussion took place the night after Christmas, following dinner.

"Besides," Justin said with a wink towards his brother, "if it's here, that way we can make sure that there aren't any brownies around for Clay to eat."

"Justin Michael," Lainie warned. "Now, you know that's not funny."

"It is a little funny, Lane," Matt chuckled from the kitchen table.

"I'm with mom on this one," Clay agreed, glaring at his brother. "Not funny. Shut up, Justin."

"We could have Doritos and chocolate pudding as part of the snacks though, if you want."

"Justin," both mother and son said, simultaneously.

"Okay, okay. Sorry, bro...mom. Oh, I bought party hats for us to wear."

"No."

"Aw, why not?"

"Because you made me wear an elf hat for two days, that's why not."

Justin grinned. "And you liked it after all, don't deny. Hey, think of it this way - they had a Baby New Year outfit on sale that..."

"Okay, a hat it is," Clay interrupted. "Fine."

But all of that was to come later in the evening. That morning, Clay and Sheri had made plans to go to an early showing of the new _Aquaman_ movie, catch a late lunch, and then meet up later in the evening for the party.

And this was where and when all the trouble started.

The front door slammed behind Clay, just after noon, and he raced up the stairs as his family looked on from the living room where they had gathered to watch the Military Bowl between Cincinnati and Virginia Tech. Justin had been in the middle of explaining how great of a quarterback Tech had this year to his father, when they had heard the door and then watched Clay go upstairs quickly, followed up by a bedroom door slamming.

The three looked at one another in confusion. Then, Justin got up from the couch.

"Yeah....I got this. Be right back....tell me what happens," he said as he left the room and trotted upstairs. Approaching the closed bedroom door, he took a breath and then knocked gently. "Clay?"

"Go away, Justin."

Frowning, he tried again. "Clay? Can I come in?"

"No."

"Please? Come on, talk to me. What's wrong."

"I don't want to."

"I'm making puppy dog eyes out here."

"Good."

Hmmm.

"If you let me in and talk to me, I won't make you wear a party hat tonight."

There was silence before Clay replied. "Tempting...but go away."

Justin crossed his arms and thought for a moment, then broke out into a grin. "Clayton Nicholas, if you don't open this door...."

That did the trick, as heavy footsteps could be heard from inside Clay's room. They got closer, and then the door was finally opened.

"Okay...a) what did we say about using my full first name, and b) did you really just middle name me?"

"It worked, didn't it?"

Sighing, Clay stepped aside. "Fine. Let's get this over with...we were bound to talk about it at some point anyway."

He let his brother into the room and then closed the door behind before returning to his bed, where he sat heavily on it, elbows resting on his knees, head in his hands.

Justin went over to the couch and sat down. "All right...spill it. What's wrong?"

"I had a fight with Sheri."

"Oh. That all?"

Clay slowly raised his head and narrowed his eyes at his brother. "That all? Really?"

"Dude, couples fight all the time, it happens. What did you do?"

Now Clay tilted his head a little. "Why do you automatically assume that...."

But Justin interrupted before Clay could finish. "Because you look like you've just been told it's the end of the world, that's why. Now come on. What happened?"

Sighing again, Clay looked down at the floor. "You're right. It is my fault. It's all my fault. I...I fucked it up, JJ. Big time. I said...something really wrong."

"Okay. Did you....suggest you Netflix and chill?"

"What? No!"

"Hulu and commit?"

"Justin....wait, what?"

"Ask to have a threeway?"

"Jesus, Justin! If you're not going to take this seriously..."

Justin raised his hands in self defense. "Okay, okay...I'm sorry, I was just trying to lighten the mood. I apologize. Go on, tell me what happened."

 

* * *

 

Half an hour earlier, Clay had picked Sheri up, and as they drove to the theater in the mall - _Aquaman_ wasn't playing at The Crestmont - they engaged in what started out as simple conversation.

"You know," Sheri said with a laugh, "this is like..the fourth or fifth super hero movie you've taken me to this year."

Clay hit the turn signal. "Okay? And?"

"Nothing. Just pointing it out is all."

"I feel like there's more to it than just pointing it out."

"Well...they're just...they get a little repetitive, that's all."

"Repetitive?"

"I mean...they're kind of formulaic, aren't they? Some guy has an origin story, meets up with the big bad guy, goes down in defeat, then rises back up to save the day."

"Okay, so there's more to it than just that. You've got inner conflict, dramatic moments." He had now braked for a red light.

"Look, I'm not saying they aren't good or anything like that. It just seems like they're made for a certain audience at times is all."

Now, one thing about geeky fanboys is that they can be protective and defensive when it comes to their favorite hobby, and can sometimes do or say things that, when it really comes right down to it, they don't mean. After all, just like a fan of a particular college or professional football or basketball team, there's a certain passion involved, almost as if their vested interest went beyond that of being a hardcore fan. True, this passion can be a tad unhealthy at times, but it is a key component of who they are. For many, comic books and superheroes, science fiction and fantasy, was and is an escape - from work, from hardship, from loneliness growing up. To suggest that Clay Jensen was anything other than a devoted fanboy, then, was flat out incorrect. For all of those reasons and more, he had come to embrace and love the exploits of his heroes, and they lived in his imagination just as much as Ali Baba or Robinson Crusoe were in previous generations.

Still...there's that defensiveness.

"You know, if you didn't want to see this today, all you had to do was say so."

"I didn't say that..."

"You didn't have to. You're implying it."

"Clay, I never said..."

"I wouldn't expect you to understand anyway."

Sheri looked at Clay, mouth agape, and then crossed her arms. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

Just like fanboys can get defensive and protective, they can also do something else: engage their mouths before their brain has a chance to catch up. Which is exactly what happened next.

"You just don't get it, because you're a girl."

" _Excuse me?_ "

Clay's eyes went wide as he pulled into the mall parking lot and slowed down.

Oh. Fuck.

"Umm. So...uhh...hey, I didn't mean..."

"You honestly think I can't understand these movies or your comic books or any of these things that you like because I'm female? You did NOT just say that!"

Clay pulled into a space and put the car in park.

"Sheri...that's...that's not what I meant, that came out wrong."

"I should say that it did, Clay Jensen!"

"Sheri...look, babe, I'm..."

"Do _not_ call me babe right now!"

Oh. Fuckity fuck.

"You're right...I'm sorry, like I said, that came out wrong. Of course you can understand these things and get them, you're so smart and..."

"And now you're being condescending. Take me home, Clay."

"Sheri..."

"Just take me home. Please."

"Sheri...wait, let's..."

"Clay. I am not going to ask you a third time."

Biting his lower lip, Clay started the car back up and looked over his shoulder to pull out of the space. The drive back to Sheri's apartment was very quiet and very tense.

 

* * *

 

"Well. That was a dumbass thing to say."

Clay looked at Justin and frowned. "Gee, you think?"

"The fuck were you thinking when you..."

"I don't know, Justin! I didn't mean to, it just...slipped out! Obviously she can understand these things, and obviously she's intelligent, and OBVIOUSLY I made her really pissed off at me!"

"Did you apologize?"

"Yes! Only about two dozen times!"

"Okay. Look. Like I said, I get it...couples fight. But, you two will talk it over and work it out and..."

Clay bit his lip, a repeat action of earlier in the car, and looked down at the floor.

"Bro?"

"We've...we never had a fight before," he said quietly.

Sighing, Justin got up from the couch and walked over to join Clay on the bed, and put his arm around him. "Hey. It's okay to be upset. Fights suck, and the first one is always the worst."

"Do...do you and Jess fight?" Clay looked up at his brother.

"Sometimes, sure. Not like...before, you know? But it happens, bro. No couple is perfect. We talk it through and move past it. You and Sheri will, too."

"I...it's just..."

"What?"

"I don't...I don't want to lose another one."

"Another one?"

Clay nodded. "I lost Hannah because I was a coward. I lost Skye because I thought I could fix her and I wasn't able to. And now, if I lose Sheri....Justin, I can't..."

"Aw, Clay. You're not going to lose her." Justin now brought Clay in for a side hug. "It was just a fight, and it wasn't even that bad of one. Yeah, I know...it seems like it is right now, but one day, you two will look back on this and laugh. Okay?"

Clay nodded.

"Look. Give it a little while. Text her...better yet, call her, apologize again, and it'll be okay. Yeah?"

"Yeah. Yeah, okay."

 

* * *

 

 **Handsome Guy:** _Hi._

 **Handsome Guy:** _Hey. I'm really, really sorry about this morning. I shouldn't have said that._

 **Handsome Guy:** _Please answer me?_

 **Handsome Guy:** _Sheri, I love you. I didn't mean it, promise. Please answer me?_

 **Handsome Guy:** _Wow. You really are mad at me, huh?_

 **Handsome Guy:** _I know you're reading my texts...._

 **Handsome Guy:** _Princess, please? It's been an hour. Please answer back?_

 **Handsome Guy:** _It's been two hours since I sent my first text. The silent treatment sucks..._

 **Handsome Guy:** _Now it's three hours. Sheri?_

 **Handsome Guy:** _Okay. Well....please still come to the party tonight? We can talk in person then. Please? I'm so sorry, I really am._

 

* * *

 

**4:15 pm**

"Still no answer?"

"No."

Justin looked over from the Redbox Bowl on the television. "Call her, dude."

"No. I want to talk this out in person."

"Clay..."

"Justin, stop. Okay? If she's not replying to my texts, what makes you think that she's going to answer the phone?"

"Yeah...good point. Look, I texted Jess, and she texted Sheri, and she's still coming tonight, so you can talk then for sure. Um. Hey, if you want, we can watch something else? I know football isn't exactly your thing..."

Clay got up from the couch. "I'm going to go for a run and clear my head."

"Okay, let me get changed and..."

"No," he interrupted. "I kinda want to go alone. That okay? Besides, you should help mom and dad get things ready for this evening."

"Wait...why do I have to help?"

"Because you made me wear an elf hat last week. I won't be gone too long, okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

 

* * *

 

  **4:50pm**

_You know, Justin is right._

About?

_Couples and fighting. It happens. All part of a healthy relationship._

Yeah. I guess. This still sucks though.

_Yeah it does. But it'll be okay. You two will have a long talk and work it out and it'll end up fine._

I hope so.

_It will. Hey, how long are we going to be out here?_

Why?

_Because the sun is already going down, and it's getting cooler out._

I have a long sleeve shirt on, it's fine.

 

* * *

 

 

**5:15pm**

Clay had begun to round the curve as he ran on the side of the road, now going uphill. Maybe another quarter of a mile and he'd turn back, catch a quick shower, change clothes, and prepare himself for the conversation he would have that evening with Sheri.

_Clay?_

He would apologize, again, for what he had said, and maybe explain some more about growing up and what these characters meant to him...

_Clay...Clay, look behind you..._

...and he would explain that even after all this time, he still feels so awkward at times around her, and is afraid of doing something wrong, and why she was so special and important to him. In the meantime, he looked down at his phone to choose a new song...

_CLAY!_

The headlights brightened suddenly as the car revved its motor and sped up and the path in front of him was illuminated. Clay glanced over his left shoulder and saw it swerve out of its lane and close the distance between it and him.

"SHIT!"

He broke out into a sprint, just like he would at practice or with Justin when they ran together. He was fast, and had gotten faster these last several months. But he was only human, after all, not The Flash.

Just as he reached the peak of the curve, the car clipped his left leg, spinning him around and causing him to lose his balance.

And he was tumbling.

Over the guardrail.

And tumbling some more.

Bouncing.

Rolling.

Down....

Down....

His right foot rolled underneath him.

Down...

And slid to a stop.

Panting. Groaning. He slowly rolled onto his back.

_Clay! Clay!_

Fuck. That hurt.

_Clay, listen to me..._

That really, really hurt. Everywhere.

_Clay. Stay awake, Clay. You have to stay awa_

 

* * *

 

 

**5:45pm**

"Shouldn't he be back by now?" Lainie asked as she placed a tray of Matt's famous lasagna in the oven.

"Maybe he went on a longer run?" Matt was at the counter cutting a green pepper for the second tray.

Justin watched and listened. Frowning, he pulled out his phone.

 

 **Shithead:** _Yo, where you at bro?_

 

"I just texted him. Maybe he went to Sheri's to work it out?"

 

* * *

 

 

**6:00pm**

**Shithead:** _Bro, you coming home sometime soon?_

 

**6:15**

**Shithead:** _Why aren't you opening these messages?_ **  
**

 

**6:30**

**Shithead:** _Clay, come on. answer me. please._

 

**6:45**

**Shithead:** _Clay this isn't funny pick up the damn phone or text_

 

**6:50**

**Shithead:** _Clay come on please_

 

**6:52**

**Shithead:** _the gang is here, sheri too...they haven't seen you...mom and dad are worried..._

 

**6:55**

**Shithead:** _Little Brother please tell me you're alright please please please_

 

 

* * *

 

 

**7:22pm**

"Technically," Bill Standall explained as he stood in a crowded kitchen, "you don't have to wait to file a missing person's report. That's a misconception. Say the word and we can do it right now."

Matt looked at Lainie, who nodded, and then back at Bill. "Do it. It's been nearly three hours, and he's just not like this anymore. He always answers his phone...this...this isn't like him."

Bill nodded and pulled out his own phone and walked out of the room. He could be overheard  when his call was connected: "This is Bill Standall, D22, put me through to dispatch..."

Justin saw the fear in his parent's eyes, and turned to Tony. "Let's go look for him." Then, he turned to Zach. "You, too. Let's go."

Alex nodded and stood up from his chair at the table. "I'm in on this, too."

"Ditto," Cyrus chimed in from the opposite side.

"Honey," Lainie said in a small voice, "Deputy Standall is taking care of..."

"Mom. I know he is, and that's great. But that's my _brother_ out there. I'm going to go look for him and find him."

"Justin..."

Greg Davis interjected. "As long as they stay out of the way of the authorities, it might not be a bad idea. If need be we can join them later."

"Lane. It couldn't hurt. Let them go," Matt said. "Justin. You keep in touch with us. Got it?"

"Understood."

Tony took charge. "All right, listen up. Justin will come with me. Alex, Cyrus, you're with Dempsey. Make sure you've got phone chargers. I've got a flashlight in my car..."

"Yeah, so do I," Zach said, nodding.

"Good. Grab your jackets and let's go."

Justin came up to Jess and a worried looking Sheri. "Hey...I know you both want to come. But I need you two to stay here with my mom and dad....my mom especially. Okay? Please?"

"Justin," Sheri said in a broken voice. "I..we..overreacted this morning. This is all my fault, I shouldn't have..." Justin cut her off by bringing her in for a hug.

"This isn't anyone's fault. Okay?"

Sheri nodded in Justin's chest. "Just...just find him and bring him back. Okay?"

"Bet." He let go of Sheri and kissed her cheek, then hugged and kissed Jess as well.

"Jensen!" Tony said from the front hall. "Let's go find our brother."

"I won't be gone long," he whispered to her. He quickly hugged his parents and ran out of the kitchen, catching his jacket tossed to him by Zach.

Greg looked at Jessica and took her hand, then at the others in the room, including Bill, who had walked back in. "Will you take each others' hands, please?" They did, Sheri's mother looking at her daughter and giving as much of an encouraging smile as she could; Bill and Carolyn, knowing all too well what Matt and Lainie were going through right now; Cyrus' father and Mackenzie, who sniffled and held back some tears as best she could; Karen Dempsey and May, who shyly reached up to take Matt's hand and smiled at him; Matt, squeezing the hand of his wife reassuringly; Lainie, reaching out for Noelle Davis, who completed the circle with her husband, and who now continued in this crowded room:

"Will you bow your heads with me? Our common God and heavenly Father....we come to you humbly this night to ask for the safe deliverance of Clay back home to his family and his friends...Lord, we ask you to keep him in your sight and grant him your protection, and to let him know that in this time, he is so very much loved. Lord, we ask also that those who are going to look for him, his brother and friends and first responders, are guided by your hand and wisdom and kept safe as they search. In your name and in the name of your Son we pray this night...Amen."

 

* * *

 

 

**8:16pm**

_Wake up, Clay.  
_

_Come on...you have to wake up._

Inhaling, Clay did indeed start to wake up, slowly opening his eyes and looking up at the night sky.

"What the actual fuck..."

_Clay. Sit up slowly._

"Fuck that...I hurt everywhere..."

_I know you do. But you have to sit up._

"Was...was that...a car hit me."

_Yes, it did._

"On purpose."

_Yes._

"Oh. Okay. Wow...the stars are really pretty tonight, huh?"

_Clay...Clay, don't close your eyes. Clay, sta_

 

* * *

 

 

**9:22pm**

Tony jogged back from The Crestmont back to the Mustang.

"Nope, no luck. No one's seen him."

"Fuck! We've been to both theaters, Moondog's, Monet's....even Walplex. Where the fuck could he have gone?" Justin exclaimed, trying not to show the worry in his voice, and failing.

"Justin. Stay calm. We're not going to do him any good by losing it. Okay?"

Justin nodded as his phone buzzed, and he pulled it out quickly.

 

 **Alex:** _No luck at school or the mall. Dad says they've got a BOLO out, got help from city pd._

 **Justin:** _Fuck ok keep trying...gonna send places we run sometimes, try those_ **  
**

 

* * *

 

**10:32pm**

**Shithead:** _hey. wherever you are I'm out here looking for you. ok? please be all right. I'll find you I swear I will_

 

**11:08pm**

**Shithead:** _just got into a big argument with mom and dad and deputy standall because I went out again to find you. Tony and Zach and Alex are helping. I'm coming._

 

**11:55pm**

**Shithead:** _this isn't how we were supposed to ring in the new year. I'm going to find you Clay. I will. please be all right please? I'm going crazy here. okay so you can't tell anyone but before we went back out to keep looking I had to run upstairs and puke that's how crazy I am right now. you'd better be all right hear me? I don't know what I would do without you. I love you so much little brother and you made my life so much better and I'm trying really hard not to cry. you know I dont mean anything when i give you a hard time right?  please don't be mad Im just playing around that's what big brothers do. and i love beingyour big brother more than anythng in the world. wow almost midnight. happy new year little brother..I love you so much please please please be ok I'm looking and I'm gonna find you_

 

**11:58pm**

"....and that's how in _Infinite Crisis,_ the multiverse came back."

Clay lay on his back and started to shiver.

_You should go through each one of the earths now. Who is on Earth Three again?_

"It must be nearly midnight."

_Probably, yes. But let's talk about those infinite earths._

"I don't want to anymore."

_Okay. What about...Killer Alien Robots?_

"It's s-starting to get cold. This r-really sucks."

_Yeah. I...I know._

"Do you think anyone is even looking for me?"

_What? Of course they are, why wouldn't they?_

"I dunno. Just wondering, I guess. You think anyone would miss me if I...y-you know. Out here?"

_Now, you shouldn't talk like that. Of course they would miss you. Mom and dad, Justin, Tony, Sheri...everyone. They all love you, very much._

"I hope so."

Fireworks started to explode in the distance.

_Clay. Stay awake, Clay!_

 

**12:00am, Tuesday, January 1 - New Years Day**

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Mazers! Happy New Years Eve! Thanks for reading this chapter, and I hope you liked it!
> 
> What a way to end the year, huh? Our hero - well, one of them - just can't catch a break for anything at times.
> 
> Lots of little details and "Easter eggs" that reference some of my past stories in this chapter. And! Clay has a middle name now! I arbitrarily decided that Clay Nicholas (well...Clayton Nicholas, but still lol) sounded nice, so here we are. Oh and Justin's mistakes in the last text he sends? Those are on purpose, not typos. I figured he'd be too upset to make sure it was 100% correct.
> 
> The incident with the car? Ahhh....that's part of Book Two of A Maze of Moments! Stick with me, and you'll find out, because that debuts in the spring and is the big story for 2019! A big, big spoiler will be revealed in the next chapter!
> 
> So as always, thank you so much for reading. And hey - thank you for welcoming me to the AO3 community and the world of 13 Reasons Why fan fiction this year. There's a lot more to come, and I can't wait to write it all for you all. I look forward to your comments and feedback as I always do. Stay tuned, Clay and Justin, some special guest stars, the Gang and all, will return in our concluding chapter of the New Years story, either tomorrow or Wednesday! Have fun tonight if you're celebrating and be safe! <3


	3. If the Sky Comes Falling Down...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which desperate times call for desperate measures, after Clay has a couple of visitors...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary of some lingo:
> 
> All hands - A transmission made for a major fire or major emergency situation
> 
> First alarm - Initial full dispatch of firefighting or rescue equipment
> 
> HT - Hand talkie
> 
> Mayday - Internationally recognized distress signal, primarily used at sea or in aviation, but also by fire and police departments; indication of a life-threatening emergency
> 
> Mutual aid - An agreement between emergency responders to provide assistance across jurisdictions

**Tuesday, January 1, 2019 - 12:38am**

"....seventy-eight bottles of beer, take one down, p-p-pass it around, seventy-seven b-bottles of beer on the wall..."

Clay rocked back and forth, wiggling his fingers, rubbing his hands together, and rubbing his arms - every effort he could think of to keep warm as he shivered. The temperature wasn't at the freezing point. Yet. But when it's in the mid to upper thirties, and you're wearing a thin, long sleeved shirt and running shorts?

It's cold.

"This is such a s-stupid song. Why would there be that m-many bottles of beer, and on a wall? Who c-could drink that much beer, anyway? Beer is nasty," he said through chattering teeth.

The singing wasn't his idea.

_Come on, keep going. Seventy-seven bottles of beer on the wall..._

"...s-s-seventy-s-seven bottles of b-beer...."

_That's right, keep singing._

But, Clay had stopped singing and rocking, and instead was looking directly in front of him. Someone had shown up and joined him, someone he hadn't seen in _this_ particular way for a very long time. It was one of the ways his PTSD had manifested itself back in the spring, back before he was officially diagnosed. Under the stress of his current situation, it was getting more and more difficult to keep things under control. His shaking hands, for instance - was it from his previous traumas, his current trauma, or just from the cold? Hard to tell. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can do odd things, and for such a long time, he had been able to keep it under control, thanks to therapy sessions, medication, and running.

Plus, the people in his life. They all helped, in one way or another:

His girlfriend, Sheri. She was an anchor, tethering him when these sudden storms would pop up. He had screwed up with her yesterday. Big time. Royally. He'd get out of this mess and beg for forgiveness and make it up to her.

His friends. Tony, Alex, Zach, all of the Deranged, Over Protective Scooby Gang. They remained patient and understanding, always supportive, never judgmental. They were probably worried sick right now. He would have to apologize to each of them as well for making them worry.

His parents. Matt and Lainie, always at his side, ready to give a word of encouragement, were there to listen, were there to hug and love and reassure. They're probably beside themselves. Well, he did it again, after all, didn't he? Go off in a huff, disappear, all those things he swore up one side and down the other that he'd never do again. Another apology on the list, and a sincere one. He had been trying to be a better son, after all, and look what he was putting them through.

Justin. His brother. His unlikely brother. A royal pain in the ass of brother at times, who made him wear stupid hats and  would push him to do and try things he never imagined doing before. A never ending, major source of support and encouragement throughout the year, even going as far as making a discrete phone call to Dr. Stanley Keyworth if he needed some advice. Wanting to do whatever he needed to do to help - what was the right thing to say, what should he be doing?

Justin was his rock.

Justin deserved the biggest apology of all.

This maze of moments that Clay had endured during 2018. All of these people were there for him, in one way or another. They were there during the trial, through the release of the tapes, when Justin became a part of his life and family, when he had been injured and hospitalized back in the spring, when he had panic attacks and depressive episodes. Through good times and bad. At this particular moment, however, only one "person" was around to support him, in his head, trying to keep him calm. In some way, he liked to think that his Psyche was actually himself pre-Hannah; the non-traumatized Clay, the one who didn't act on impulse.

Nevertheless...someone else was there now. Or, at least, Clay _thought_ that there was.

_Clay?_

He looked down at his shaking right hand. There they were. The scars crisscrossing the top of it, bright red and hurting a little from the cold.

_Clay. It's all right, he's not really there...._

He looked back up. His "visitor" started to talk to him.

_**What's wrong, Jensen? Little chilly out?** _

"Y-you're n-not...real..."

_**Oh yeah? How the fuck do you know that?** _

"B-because....because...y-you're in...j-jail...."

_That's right, Clay...he's not really here...fight this...we can do it...YOU can do it...._

_**I should have finished you off the day I bashed your head in, Jensen. Not like anyone would fucking miss you.** _

"Sh-shut up! Th-that's not true!"

**_Do you know what I'm going to do when I get out? First, I'm going to take care of that pansy ass brother of yours...._ **

"S-stop it! Sh-shut up Monty!"

_Fight him off Clay! We can fight him off! Help me help you! He's NOT real! It's NOT Monty!_

**_...and then, I'm going to show your little girlfriend a REAL good time!_ **

"FUCK YOU!"

Clay picked up a handful of dirt and some small stones from the ground to his right, and with a cry, threw it at - through - the vision of a laughing Montgomery de la Cruz, making it dissipate.

_Good job, Clay. I'm SO sorry about that. He got out of the box because of all of this....I'll try and keep him locked in while we...oh. Oh, no.  
_

**_Did you forget to wear your helmet, Helmet?_ **

"No....oh God, no...no, no, no this is just cruel!"

"Hannah" walked over and knelt down next to a crying Clay.

"Why? Why would you do this to me?! Please...please don't do this!"

_**Clay. Pull yourself together.** _

"You're not real either!"

_**Maybe not. But I can tell you one thing for certain. The Clay Jensen I know would figure a way out of this.** _

 Clay shut his eyes tight, sobbing, and when he opened them back up, the vision of Hannah was gone.

_Clay...it's from the trauma. It opened up all kinds of boxes in here. I'm sorry, I'm doing the best I can..._

He brought up an arm and wiped the snot coming from his nose.

"I...I know. But..fuck this!" he sniveled, breath shuddering.

_What?_

"Hannah's right. I've...I've had...enough..."

_Clay...?_

He squinted in the darkness and leaned forward a little.

"How far?"

_How far....what?_

"Down?"

_I'd say....another thousand feet? Probably more. But that's crazy, if you try and slide down..._

In spite of the cold, he did some quick calculations in his head. "Three football f-fields."

_At least. And it's straight down and into Eisenhower Woods. Clay, what are you..._

Turning slowly and hissing in pain, Clay looked up the hill, back towards the direction of the road.

"Th-that's...what? May-maybe...a hundred? Two?"

_Roughly. Maybe a little more than that. Clay, you can't put any weight on your foot, and there's no way you can walk back up...._

"Who...who said anything ab-b-out...walking...."

_What?_

"I will NOT die o-out here!"

Adrenaline surging through him, probably from seeing the visions of Monty and Hannah after all this time, Clay slowly elevated his right leg, and making a noise between a moan and a scream, rolled onto his stomach. He flattened himself out, keeping his right foot up just a little, so it wouldn't bounce too much along the ground behind and beneath him.

"FUCK! God this is gonna suck..."

_Clay...Clay, what are you doing?"_

"The...ground. It's not too wet. Just d-damp. Okay. L-let's give this a sh-shot..."

He reached forward with his right hand and dug in, then slowly repeated the effort with his left hand, moving his body forward some so that the left arm was slightly ahead of the right one. With all his might, he pulled. His left wrist screamed at him as he did so - how had he not noticed that before? Hopefully it was only sprained and not broken, but in any event it hurt also. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and if there ever was a desperate time in the short life of Clay Jensen, this most certainly was it. And so he pulled.

And he moved.

His left leg ached - that was where the car had hit him, after all - and his ankle throbbed, and everything, absolutely every part of his body  _hurt_ and he was cold but by God, he moved up. A matter of inches, not yards, but he had moved up some.

_You did it! Holy shit!_

"F-fuck yeah I did!"

_Okay...okay. Maybe we can do this. Just remember, take it slowly._

"G-gotta...go slow...if  you want t-to...climb f-fast."

_TONY! Why didn't I think of that?_

"This is one s-steep f-fucking hill...."

_Justin is coming, I know he is....you can meet him halfway up! Just take your time!_

Clay nodded to himself.

"Seventy-s-six b-bottles of...b-beer on the wall..."

 

**12:45am**

Tony's Mustang pulled around the curve, stopping at the hilltop that looked down at Eisenhower Woods. This was the designated meeting place, and Zach would be arriving any second now.

"We should go back, let the authorities handle it from here. We can start again in the morning when the sun is up."

Justin shook his head and looked off in the distance. "No. We're still looking. We're close. We've just got to be. I know it. It's like...I can _feel_ it."

"Justin..."

"NO, Tony. We're still looking. I'll stay out here all fucking night if I have to and do it by myself until I find him and bring him home."

"Justin, listen to me. We've gotten nowhere with this, and your mother needs you right now. Soon as the sun comes up it'll be a lot easier. I'll get my brothers to help, we'll get ahold of Scott and the basketball team, the football team..."

"Tony," a broken Justin turned to his friend. "I....I can't. Let's keep looking? I can't give up on him...I _can't_! Please, man....I can't...I can't lose him."

Tony sighed and reached over, grasping Justin's shoulder. "Listen. We're not going to lose him. Not you, not me...he's out there, and we're going to find him. But it'll be better in the morning, and you need some sleep and something to eat."

"I'm fine...here's Zach."

Justin undid his seat belt and hopped out of the car to meet Zach's as it pulled up and in front of the Mustang. "Anything?" he called.

Zach got out of the car, followed by Alex, as Tony came up and joined the team. "Nothing," Zach shook his head. "We've driven back and forth on the other side of town five times."

"Justin," Alex reached out and put a hand on his back, "let's go back and start again tom..."

"Jesus, you too!? What's wrong with you guys! If it was one of us, Clay would be out in fucking knee deep snow if he had to! He'd crawl over goddamn broken glass if he knew that's what it would take to get to us! You all go back if you fucking want to!" He shrugged off Alex and walked over by the guardrail.

"I'm not going home until I find my brother! Understand?"

 

* * *

 

 "...seventy bottles...of beer on the..." Clay grunted as he pulled himself up another half foot. ".....wall. Fuck I hate this song..."

_**You never did like beer, did you?** _

Clay turned his head slowly to his right. "Figures...you'd show up."

_The boxes opened Clay....working on it..._

**_Slow and steady. You can do this. Gotta crawl before you can walk._ **

"Yeah. Yeah....sounds like something you would say. Jeff....listen. I'm....I'm sorry. About what happened. I should have..."

_**Clay, you don't have anything to apologize for. Promise. Now, get up this hill, or I'll kick your ass.** _

"You'd never do that...."

_**He probably wouldn't, no. I just might, on the other hand.** _

Now Clay looked to his left. "Skye? But...you're not dead. Are you?"

_**No, I'm not, but I kick around in your head also you know.** _

_Boxes, Clay._

**_Yeah, what he said. I like my box, it's all spray painted.  
_ **

"Of course it is," Clay said, closing his eyes.

_Take a break. Catch your breath._

"Good....idea. Fuck. I hate...h-heights." He opened his eyes, and his visitors were gone. "Well. Not only might I die out here, but I'll g-go crazy first..."

_You know what you should do when you get home?_

"Apologize....to Sheri?"

_That, too. I was thinking, you should take the longest, hottest shower known to man. Outdo Justin's record._

"He does....love long sh-showers."

_Yeah he does. You know, when all this is said and done, he's never going to let you forget this. He'll probably want you to wear a catcher's mask and all that next time you go run. Hockey gear. Like you're a goalie.  
_

"Oww...d-don't...make me....laugh. I'm changing songs...."

 

* * *

 

**12:50am**

"All right....let's take a break. I really need something to eat," Tony said as Justin pulled out his phone.

"I've got some protein bars in my trunk...I always keep some on me for after practice or workouts." Zach walked over and popped his trunk.

"They taste like shit," Alex made a face, "but it is food."

"Justin, come on...eat something. He's got a couple bottles of water, too," Tony called over as he joined Zach at the trunk.

Justin looked at his phone. "Come on, Clay....please pick up...." he said to himself. He called Clay one more time and put the phone up to his ear.

Apple recommends operating iOS devices where the ambient temperature is between 32 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. It was still in the mid thirties this night, and the wind was calm. Bad enough for hypothermia and frostbite to start setting in, but in theory an iPhone - though the battery will deplete faster - might still be operational. Even if it was dropped by someone and they were falling. Good thing Clay's phone has an Otterbox.

 _Hey brother_  
_There's an endless road to rediscover_

On a quiet night, sound can travel. Justin's jaw dropped when he heard Avicii. It was faint, but it was coming from close by.

Very close by.

Right around them.

On the ground.

Somewhere.

 

* * *

 

_Just as he reached the peak of the curve, the car clipped his left leg, spinning him around and causing him to lose his balance._

_And he was tumbling._

_Over the guardrail._

_And he dropped his phone._

 

* * *

 

 

The other three looked at each other and then over at Justin, who turned back, eyes wide.

"Holy shit...." Alex said. "No way!"

"That's my ringtone!" Justin exclaimed. "When I call him it plays 'Hey, Brother!' He hates it but I won't let him delete it!"

Zach quickly grabbed the flashlight from out of his trunk and came over to Justin, while Tony ran back to get his from the Mustang.

"Keep it ringing!" Zach exclaimed. "If it goes to voicemail, call it again!"

Justin complied, calling back, as Tony came up and he and Zach swept the ground with their flashlights. "Everyone quiet! Listen..."

 _Hey brother_  
_There's an endless road to rediscover_

Alex had limped over quickly and held onto the guardrail, and followed the beams of the flashlights. "There!" he pointed. "That's only about six or seven feet down, I can see it! It's lighting up!"

Putting the phone back in his pocket, Justin looked at Tony, and then both looked down the hillside.

"No fucking way," Tony shook his head. "Here? We drove past here at least a dozen times."

Heart racing, Justin cupped his hands over his mouth.

"CLAY!!!!!"

 

* * *

 

 

"...look away, look away...this show will wreck your evening, y-your...whole life and...your d-day...."

_Appropriate. Morbid, but appropriate._

"CLAY!!!!!"

"O-okay....I know you said this stuff about boxes, but that's just shitty....making me th-think...I can hear...Justin..."

_Clay! That's not me!_

"CLAAAAAAAAY!!!!"

"If...if that's...n-not...you...."

"CLAY!!!!"

_That sounds like Tony!_

Clay raised his head. "Help! Guys, I'm down here!" But that was too weak for the sound to carry.

_Clay...listen to me. Catch your breath, okay? Get mad. Get as pissed off as you've ever been. Then you yell. Yell as loud and as hard as you can. You got that? You yell, Clay! Yell, Clay....yell!_

Clay nodded, taking several deep breaths.

This was going to hurt, probably.

"JUSTIINNNNNN!!!!"

 

* * *

 

 

"Jesus....Jesus Christ, that's him, it's fucking him! CLAY! CLAY, I'M COMING!" Justin started to climb over the rail, when Tony grabbed onto him and pulled him back.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? We need to call for help!"

"He's been down there for who knows how the fuck long! We need to get down there and bring him back up!"

"Justin, that's God knows how far, pretty much straight down..."

"Tony....Tony, please....I'm begging you," Justin looked Tony directly in the eye and grabbed his arms. "I'm begging you....let's go get him. He's here! We found him! Please!"

Running his hands through his hair, then keeping them on his head, Tony turned away and thought for a moment. "Have you ever been rock climbing? Repelling?"

"No."

"Now's as good a time to learn as any. Okay." Tony went back to his trunk and pulled out ropes. "Dempsey, you got a backpack, anything?"

"I've got my gym bag!"

"Good enough. Load it up with the water and the protein bars. Put this blanket in there, too. Alex, help me tie this to the rail."

Moving quickly, Tony and Alex started to tie the rope. "Justin, listen to me carefully....he had to have gone straight down. I'll go first, you hold on tight and follow. You're going to walk down, understand? No jumping and bouncing shit, nothing fancy. Walk...like you're climbing but in reverse almost. You're going to walk backwards. We're going to take it nice and slow. Put your gloves back on. Alex...when we're done, call 911 and then the Jensens, get them here as quickly as they can. Use the other flashlight to give me whatever light you can until help arrives."

"Got it!"

Satisfied that the rope was secure, Tony took the gym bag from Zach and slung it over his shoulders and back, the strap on a diagonal across his chest.

"Dempsey, you watch this rope. Ready?"

"CLAY!! CLAY, WE'RE COMING!!"

 

* * *

 

**1:05am**

"This is a steep fucking hill!"

"Yeah, no shit...slowly, Justin. You okay?"

"I'm fine. Y'know...if he saw me right now, he'd probably say something about me being Batman or whatever..."

"You call me Robin, and I swear I'll leave you out here."

 

**1:15am**

Captain Hank Stanley looked over the edge and down the hill. "How long did you say he's been down there?"

"It's got to be at least eight hours, sir...maybe more," Zach explained.

"Your friends shouldn't have gone after him...well, nothing we can do about that now."

The Captain of Station 51 turned to his men. "All right, we're following them. Johnny, Roy, grab the stokes basket, blankets, and whatever first aid gear you think you'll need to stabilize him. Chet, Marco? Ropes and harnesses, everything we've got, you'll go down with the medics. Mike? We'll tie our ropes off to the engine. I'm going to call in the cavalry. Let's move!" He brought up his walkie talkie and keyed it. "Dispatch this is Engine 51, I have a hillside search and rescue, one confirmed victim and two civilians attempting to find him. Send me a full alarm and transmit the all hands."

The other end of the walkie crackled. "Ten-four Engine 51." Alarm tones could now be heard, followed by the call out: "All channels, code three traffic to follow...Station 110, Truck 210, Rescue 14, Patrol 69, Battalion 8....Evergreen County for mutual aid, requesting a mobile light unit, Tactical Rescue, and Sheriff's deputies...a first alarm assignment, all hands working...respond with Station 51..."

A county sheriff's car, sirens wailing and lights flashing, came to a halt. Matt and Lainie got out, as Bill Standall put the car in park, and ran over to Zach and Alex. "Boys! Lainie cried, "where is he? Where's Clay?"

"Mrs. Jensen, this is Captain Stanley from the fire department, he can help explain," Zach made introductions.

"Ma'am, I need you to stay calm. Let's back away from the edge, and I"ll tell you what's going on."

 

**1:47am**

"How much further?"

Tony held onto the rope with one hand and pulled the flashlight out of his jacket pocket. Turning behind him, he swept back and forth a few times. "I see him! Maybe another twenty feet!"

"This is _not_ easy!"

"Listen to me. Let go with one hand..."

"Have you lost your fucking mind?!"

"Justin, shut up and listen! Let go with one hand and work it out. Wiggle your fingers, shake your arm, get some blood flowing. Then do it with the other hand!"

"He's lucky I love him," Justin muttered as he slowly let go...

 

**2:03am**

"Hey...hey guys...." Clay slowly turned himself over as his friends arrived.

Justin braced himself and knelt next to Clay, panting. "Clay...I'm here, it's gonna be all right now!"

"Ab-b-bout t-time...you...g-got here..."

"Yeah...well, see, there were these runaway horses with pretty girls on them that needed to be saved first. Found your phone along the way. I looked at your dirty pics."

"Shut up....sh-hithead..."

Tony swung around the gym bag and unzipped it, quickly pulling out the blanket and handing it over to Justin. "Pull him close to you, get him warmed up some."

Justin lay on his side next to Clay on the cold ground and carefully followed Tony's instructions, cradling him close to his body and wrapping the blanket around them. "I've got you, little bro. I've got you. I'm here. I'm so happy I found you, you have no idea."

Clay looked up at his brother and then his best friend, and started to cry again. "I'm...it's so cold...I didn't...d-didn't mean to worry you. A car...hit me....I'm...I'm s-sorry...I'm so sorry...."

Justin rubbed his hand quickly up and down Clay's right arm and pulled him closer. "Hey...you don't have anything to be sorry for!" He kissed his brother's temple. "It's going to be all right, don't cry. Okay? Please don't cry, I'm here, big brother is here...it's all over, more help is coming. Did you hear all the sirens? We're gonna get you out of here."

"It was...I'm so scared..."

"I know, but I'm here now. You don't have to be scared anymore. Yeah? I've got you. I found you...I'll _always_ come find you." He rocked Clay just a little.

"Don't be...mad at me...?" A cold hand grabbed onto Justin's coat.

"Clay, I'm not mad at you, I swear. Okay? Neither is Tony. I've got you, shhhhh."

"The locker....the locker came back, Justin...in my head..."

Justin closed his eyes with a sad sigh and rested his head against Clay's. "It'll be all right. We'll work through it. Promise."

Tony had unwrapped one of the protein bars and broke off a small piece. "Clay...here," he said gently. "Chew it slowly. There you go. I've got water, too."

"Heads up!"

The firefighters, far more expert in these matters, weren't all that far behind Justin and Tony, and had now arrived to assist, their own ropes being tossed on either side of the boys. The medics quickly went to work, and started to assess Clay, after harnessing both he and Justin to steady them, while the other two did the same and wrapped a blanket around Tony.

"Well now," Johnny said as he shone a penlight in Clay's eyes. "Looks like you took a wrong turn up there, huh? You two look familiar."

"The appendix case from the summer," Roy said as he opened up the ALS bag and began to take out some medical gear.

"Yeah...I remember now. You thought you were dying," Johnny nodded and grinned, looking at Justin. "Let's get some more blankets around and under you, you'll feel a lot better once we do. You can keep holding onto him, the body heat is helping."

"You...remember him being...a b-big...baby..." Clay joked through his shivers.

"I was not!" Justin protested. But he held Clay tighter all the same.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Stuck on a hillside, in the cold, in the middle of the night, and they still bicker. _Dios mio_."

 

* * *

 

 

**2:29am**

"HT 51 to Engine 51!"

Captain Stanley brought up his walkie. "Go ahead HT 51."

"Eighteen year old male. Patient has multiple contusions and abrasions, probable broken right ankle, probable sprain of the left wrist, possible concussion, injury to the left femur, stage one frostbite and hypothermia, nearing stage two, possible internal injuries. He's in a lot of pain and pretty beat up. We've got him stable for now, but his condition is serious and could go critical fast for as long as he's been out here. We've got to get him off of this hill, Cap!"

The battalion chief looked at Hank. "Eisenhower Woods is at the base of this hill, Jawbone Road runs through it. Can't be more than half a mile away once they're down. We can redeploy 110 and 69 down there, have them meet your team and 210s."

Hank nodded. "HT 51, can you lower down into Eisenhower Woods?"

"Cap...we can do it, but that'll take at least another hour with the slow rate of speed we'd have to go so he doesn't bounce around, and he needs treatment now!"

The chief frowned. "If we try and pull him up, that might take twice as long." He brought up his own walkie. "Battalion 8 to dispatch! Can we get a helicopter?"

"Battalion 8, stand by......Battalion 8, negative. All county helicopters working other incidents and unavailable at this time."

"Damn. Okay, let's try this. Dispatch, can you patch me through to the Coast Guard?"

"Stand by, Battalion 8."

"What're you thinking, chief?"

"We do an air evac of the vic, then your team takes the other two down to the road."

"Yeah....yeah, that just might work."

The walkie crackled to life. "This is United States Coast Guard, Air Station San Fransisco, over."

"Coast Guard, this is Battalion Chief 8 of the Crestmont Fire Department calling Mayday...I have a hillside rescue above Eisenhower Woods, victim in need of immediate air evacuation. Can you assist? Over."

"Roger that, Chief, we can get a bird in the air and be at your incident in fifteen minutes. Have fire dispatch relay your exact location. Over."

"Dispatch, you get that?"

"Ten four, Battalion 8, relaying information now."

"HT 51, this is Captain Stanley, prepare for air evacuation."

 

* * *

 

**2:45am**

Clay was now strapped in to the stokes basket, blankets wrapped tightly around his shaking body, an IV bag laying on his chest bringing vital fluids into his arm. His right foot had been immobilized with a splint and there was a brace around his neck. The sound of a helicopter got closer.

"What the fuck..are they doing again..?" Clay was becoming a little confused, owing to how long he had been out in the cold, and this was doing nothing to calm Justin down. "I'm all wrapped up....like the mummy?"

"They're going to take you up in a helicopter, get you out of here."

"It's the quickest way, Clay," Johnny explained as he adjusted and tightened the straps around Clay. "You'll be at the hospital and nice and toasty in no time."

All this seemed to snap him back to reality. "Justin...Justin, I hate heights...."

"I know, bro...I know...just keep your eyes closed, it won't be long..."

"Come with me? Please? Please don't let me go by myself?" Clay was crying a little again. "I'm scared Justin, please come with me, please please..."

Justin looked at Johnny. "I'm going up there with him."

Johnny looked at Roy, who brought up his walkie. "Coast Guard, this is HT 51....can you bring up a civilian also? It's the victim's brother."

"HT 51, this is USCG Copter 1442...we're almost at your location. We'll send down an air medic with a harness, no problem."

"Ten four, 1442."

"HT 51, this is Battalion 8....come again?"

"Chief....we've got a very worried big brother down here with us, and he'll probably put up a fight," Roy winked at Justin, who smiled back gratefully.

A minute or two more passed, and then the helicopter was position and hovered overhead, light shining down. "HT 51, Battalion 8. I've got an equally worried mom up here....better not separate the boys."

"Hear that, bro?" Justin said a little louder, owing to the noise of the helicopter. "Mom did her mom thing for us!"

Clay smiled in relief as Tony came over and leaned in, and kissed Clay's cold forehead. "I'll see you at the hospital _hermanito_."

"Th-thanks...Tony. For finding me."

"That was all Justin. I just helped," he winked at the brothers.

Johnny placed an oxygen mask over Clay's face and tucked the cylinder next to him. "Breathe nice and slow, this will help. Just take it easy. Roy and I will see you at the hospital."

The Sikorsky-S-61R lowered a steel cable, a hook at the end. The fire crew attached it to the stokes basket ropes, checking and double checking that it was secure. "I'll be right behind you," Justin said before backing away.

"Well...guess if I wanted to be a superhero and fly...th-this is as c-close as I'm gonna g-get...."

"Fly like Iron Man. Keep your eyes closed...I'll be right behind you, bro!"

"Copter 42, bring him up!"

The cable went taught, and the wench in the helicopter activated. Slowly, steadily, the basket carrying Clay was pulled up, high into the night sky, and waiting Guardsmen pulled him in. Another couple of minutes, and it lowered once more, this time with a Guardsman attached to it via harness.

"Wrap this around your waist!" he instructed Justin. "Okay...yours hooks onto mine. Good. Hold onto me, foot on the hook. Perfect. Hold tight!"

"Copter 42, bring them up!"

 

**3:00am**

"Battalion 8, Copter 1442... we have the victim and a concerned big brother on board, air medics treating. Heading for County General, ETA five minutes."

"Roger that Copter 1442. Thanks for the help! Dispatch, this is Battalion 8, victim in transport. Second civilian about to be extricated. All units out, one hour."

 

 

_To be continued...._

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, Mazers!
> 
> Now, you didn't think I was going to leave Clay stranded on this hill, did you?
> 
> You did?
> 
> Heh. Sorry? Well, happy endings and all that, yeah? Well, sort of, because Clay is pretty banged up after all, to say nothing of the emotional wreck Justin is. Plus, there's still the question of who was driving that car, and why did they hit Clay? Looked pretty deliberate to me.
> 
> Oh, and welcome back our guests from the tv show "Emergency!" that we first saw a few months back when Justin suffered from appendicitis!
> 
> There is a concluding chapter, where we'll get into such things as: what Matt and Lainie and the others were going through leading up to the time of the rescue, the extent of Clay's injuries, Justin getting some much needed counseling, and a whole lot more because this story was too big for just three chapters as it turns out!
> 
> And in case anyone is asking themselves, now, Ye Writer, would the Coast Guard really have been that close by and would they have rescued? Yes and yes! Since it's established in canon that Oakland isn't too far from Crestmont, and Oakland is about twelve miles away from San Fransisco, which has a Coast Guard station...and a Sikorsky can travel at a pretty fast rate of speed....yep! So, it is plausible and need I add that I looked it up? Plus in this situation, a patient would have to be evacuated as soon as possible, and there we are. 
> 
> Anywho! I hope you enjoyed the drama here, and thank you as always for your comments and feedback! Stay tuned, Clay and Justin will return in our conclusion, coming soon!


	4. Man Plans. God Laughs.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we see what was going on as Justin was looking for Clay, and some of the immediate aftermath...

_Der mentsh trakht un got lakht._

"Man plans, and God laughs."

\- Yiddish proverb

 

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

There was supposed to be a house full of people, with music and laughter, stories and reflections of the year that was soon to be behind them (the happy stories - the unpleasant ones, those would be tactfully avoided), a celebration of family and friends. There would be games, and dancing, and kisses at midnight, resolutions for the upcoming year.

There _was_ been a house full of people, but it was hardly a celebration. There was no music playing, food was left uneaten, bottles of champagne were still corked. No silly hats, bought by the youngest son, were worn. Instead, there was a kitchen and living room full of worried individuals. Late in the afternoon on this New Years Eve, Clay Jensen had gone out on a run following a fight with his girlfriend, Sheri Holland, and he had yet to return. He was not answering his phone or responding to text messages; in fact, he hadn't opened any of them. Around eight o'clock, Justin Jensen and four of their friends - the 'Scooby Gang' as they all called themselves - had gone out in search of him, while Bill Standall had called in to file a missing person's report with Matt Jensen. Just past ten thirty they had returned to warm up and get an update, any kind of update, that they may have missed, and went back out again. That was done in spite of the protests by Matt, Lainie and Bill, each of whom tried to convince Justin that it would be better to wait until daybreak and to let the police search instead.

In the eight months or so since he had been a part of the Jensen household, there had been a handful of times that Justin had violated the established ground rules. They were minor infractions, nothing serious or particularly egregious - things like staying out past curfew a little too long or sneaking a beer at a party hosted by Cyrus. He had always accepted the consequences of his actions without pause, grateful that he had parents who gave a damn about him. After all, with Amber he could have been gone for days on end, and he had done just that on many an occasion, and she barely noticed, let alone cared. 

But this night, he was defiant in his disobedience, even going as far as yelling at his adopted parents as he insisted that he  _would_ continue to look, and, no, he didn't care what punishment might come his way for raising his voice at them and storming out, Tony, Zach and Alex swiftly following. It was the first time Justin Jensen had disobeyed them, let alone talk back and raise his voice. But that didn't matter at the moment. The only thing that mattered was finding his brother, punishment be damned.

Only Cyrus stayed behind, speaking with his father and Noelle Davis in hushed tones. He accepted a different mission, taking his sister and May Dempsey to the Davis home in order to relieve their babysitter and watch over Jess' younger brothers. 

That's what the members of the Scooby Gang did, after all - they looked out for one another, even members of each others families.

Lainie sat at the kitchen table and sighed, shaking her head sadly. "We should have known he wouldn't listen to us. Those two...those two are..."

"Lanie, why don't I make some tea, it'll help. How does that sound?" Karen Dempsey asked as she placed a hand on Lainie's shoulder.

"Clay....he always wanted a brother growing up. He hated being an only child, and he was so lonely at times. I think that's why he was so...withdrawn, for awhile, and he would get so sad....and I couldn't make it better. I couldn't make my little boy happy because I couldn't give him the one thing he wanted more than anything in the world..."

Matt sat down next to Lainie and held her hands in his. "Lane..."

"But then we took in Justin, and we knew going in it wouldn't be easy, and we'd all have to adjust....and for Clay most of all." She laughed and tears welled in her eyes before continuing. "You know, for someone who wanted a brother all his life, he could get so jealous in the beginning...and they would bicker and pick on one another. Do you remember, Matt?"

"I do, honey. I do," he nodded sadly.

"But then...then, they just clicked. When Clay was assaulted by Montgomery. Oh, they still bicker and pick on each other but it's so different now... they love each other so much. And they can never get their stories straight! When one of them does something wrong or forgets to do something, and the other tries to take the blame for it, you can just tell they don't talk it over beforehand...it's too funny. Clay...Clay calls Justin his big brother, did you all know that? He thinks we don't know, but we do. He'll try and get out of doing chores or something around the house, he'll say, 'Justin should do it, he's the little brother,' but...but we know. We've heard him. He'll say to Justin in the hall upstairs, 'hey, big bro, let's go out.' Or he'll call him JJ. He looks up to Justin, just as much as Justin looks up to him. Those two...they would walk through the fire for each other and laugh while they did it. And...and if something's happened to Clay...I don't...I don't know how Justin will...oh my God, where's my little boy?" She quickly took her hands out of her husband's grasp and covered her face, not wanting the others to see her break down.

"Lainie," Greg Davis interrupted gently, "both of your boys are going to come home, and come home safely. You've got to believe that."

She nodded and accepted some tissue from Carolyn Standall and dabbed at her eyes. "I do, Greg. I do. And I'll really believe it when that damn phone rings."

 

* * *

 

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

She was going to talk it over with him, they would both apologize, and have a great time ringing in the new year together. She would say she overreacted, kiss him when the clock struck twelve, and they would put it past them. But twelve had come and gone, and it was now approaching one in the morning.

Instead of celebrating, Sheri was in the living room of the Jensen home, sitting next to Jessica on the couch. Back on Christmas day, they joked that they were sisters now, due to the fact that their respective boyfriends had bought as part of their gifts the same bracelet, the one she was now toying with.

"It was so stupid, you know? What he said, yeah...but then I got all upset. More than I should have. I should have...I don't know...just given him the silent treatment while we were at the movie or something. I should have answered all those texts he sent. Oh my God....what if...Jess, I never answered them! What if the last thing I ever said to him was to take me home?"

Jess rubbed a hand up and down her friends back. "Honey...you _will_ talk to him again, we all will. You need to stay strong, you hear me?"

"This is all my fault! If I didn't...he wouldn't have gone running...he would be here, and..." Sheri broke down and fell into her friends hug.

From the kitchen, they could hear a ringing phone, and the sound of Bill Standall's voice. "Alex, what's....what? Where? Did you call 911? Good, we're on our way!"

 

* * *

 

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

They were going to be in the company of their friends and family, celebrating with one another, counting down and watching a ball drop in Times Square.

Instead, Zach and Alex were outside, in the middle of the night, on a road above a hill, watching a helicopter take off in the direction of the hospital.

"This is so fucked up. How does shit like this keep happening to one of us? Did we do something in a past life?" Alex asked his friend.

Zach shook his head. "It was an accident man. It happens."

"This wasn't an accident, Zach. I talked to my Dad. From what he could make out from the paramedics on the radio, Clay said the car hit him intentionally."

"But why? he questioned. "That doesn't make any sense...who would try to hit Clay like that?"

"Well we know Monty is in jail. Bryce?"

"Bryce is an ass, but he isn't stupid enough to try that."

"One of the other baseball players? A lot of them dialed their natural fuckboy tendencies up to eleven after everything happened."

"Maybe," Zach conceded. "I'll get with Scott and we can ask around. Still...doesn't sound like something they'd do."

Alex shook his head and sighed. "Well, I hope they find out, whoever it was....before another one of us gets hurt. Or killed."

"Come on, dude, don't talk like that."

 

* * *

 

**3:10am**

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

They should have been needling one another playfully, eating Matt's famous lasagna, hugging one another after kissing their girlfriends at the stroke of twelve. That had been the plan, to ring in 2019 and put the old year behind them.

The Coast Guard helicopter landed on the helipad next to County General, where Clay was transported into a waiting ambulance for the short drive to the emergency room entrance. Attendants rolled him in and down the hall to a treatment area quickly, Justin jogging alongside.

The attending physician took the triage notes from the Air Medic and looked them over, comparing them to those already complied when Rescue 51 had called in, and then began to give orders as nurses and attendants carefully cut away Clay's shirt and running shorts. "Okay...CBC, Chem7, UA, get warming blankets on him and let's start heated saline. Carol, call radiology and get a portable x-ray in here, we'll need a cross table c-spine, head, chest and pelvis series, left wrist, left leg and right ankle. Have orthopedics come down also. All right then....Clay, I'm Dr. Kelly Fuller, we're going to take good care of you, all right? Who's this young man with you?" She put the stethoscope in his ears in order to listen to Clay's chest.

"I'm his brother, Justin."

"Okay, Brother Justin...you can stay here for now, as soon as we do some initial treatment you can get closer and come up next to him." She listened carefully. "Okay, take a deep breath for me. And again. One more time. Hmm. Clay, is it hard to breathe right now? Does it hurt?"

Clay nodded slowly, as a nurse replaced the paramedics oxygen mask and tank swiftly with their own supply.

"Decreased breath sounds on the left." Dr. Fuller looked back up at her patient, who was in obvious discomfort. "All right, Clay....it sounds like you might have a collapsed lung, I'll know for sure once we get some x-rays. Breathe nice and slow for me. We're going to get you warmed up and you're going to start feeling a lot better. Let's get an arterial blood gas also."

Clay then carefully brought his right hand over to his left side and tapped it.

"Your ribs hurt?"

He nodded again, and a solitary tear trickled down the right side of his face.

"Brother Justin, why don't you come over here now while we wait on x-ray, they'll be here in just a minute. Joe," she said, turning to another nurse, "he's starting to pink up, let's slow the drip some and then switch over to half normal saline."

Justin carefully stepped over and came up on Clay's right. "Hey...it's gonna be okay, hold my hand. Wow, you're warmer already. See?"

"Clay, I want you to follow my finger with your eyes.....that's it, just like that. Good. Pupils equal and reactive also. Good news, looks like you took a nasty bump on the head but I don't think you have a concussion. Let's get this neck brace off of you, but I want you to keep your head still until we see your films."

Justin grinned and squeezed his brother's hand. "Think you can see if he has a brain in there still? He said something really stupid to his girlfriend and I just wanna make sure."

Clay rolled his eyes, and were it not for the oxygen mask probably would have said something appropriate or at the minimum stuck out his tongue. The best he could do was free his hand from Justin's and give a weak pinch.

Technicians rolled in a portable x-ray machine and took the ordered scans. It was going to take around twenty minutes, maybe less, for the results, and as they waited, nurses adjusted Clay's IV medication and blankets as his body temperature began to regulate. Justin took out his phone to send a status report to his parents:

 **Justin:** _we're here...Clay just had xrays done_

 **Mom:** _Okay we're on our way with Bill, should be there soon. How is he?_ **  
**

**Justin:** _he's rough mom..._

 **Dad:** _Keep an eye on him until we get there, tell him we love him._

 **Justin:** _Will do. I'm really sorry about earlier too I shouldn't have gotten mad like that_

 **Mom:** _Honey, it's fine you have nothing to be sorry for...we'll talk when we get there_

 **Justin:** _ok. love you both_

 **Dad:** _We love you too kid, and we're proud of you_

Then, he started an update for the Scooby Gang:

 **Justin:** _in the er, clay being looked at, waiting on xrays_

 **Zach:** _Okay. They've almost got Tony off the hill and then we're on our way. Be there asap._

 **Jess:** _Dad and I are bringing Sheri and her mom, be there soon. How is he?_

 **Justin:** _I'll know more soon...he looks awful guys, can't lie...kinda scared here but trying not to show it..._

 **Alex:** _Hang in there Justin, we'll be there. For both of you._

 **Cyrus:** _Soon as Mrs. Davis gets here to take over I'll run May and Mac home and then I'm there too._

 **Justin:** _Thanks guys._

Dr. Fuller looked at the films, and made quick assessments. "All right....head and neck are clear, that's good...nothing broken in the wrist, looks like a sprain but we'll do an MRI of that later....cracked ribs on the left, definite pneumothorax on that side...pelvis is clear...left femur is clear, probably a bone bruise there. Lateral malleolus fracture. That's a broken ankle, Clay, but it doesn't look too bad. I'll have ortho give a second opinion. All right. Well. All things considered you're pretty lucky, bud. Lots of bumps and bruises and scrapes but we'll get you all fixed up. Oh, and Brother Justin, he does indeed have a brain."

"You sure? He may need a second opinion for that, too." Justin smiled and looked at Clay, who did indeed reach up and lower the mask and weakly blew raspberries at his brother.

"All right. Clay, I need to aspirate your chest so your lung reinflates. What I'm going to do is insert a tube into your chest, that'll pull the air out. Joe, let's apply some local anesthetic and get the thoracostomy tray. It's going to hurt a little bit, buddy, but it'll be over quick, I promise. Brother Justin, why don't you keep holding his hand."

Justin's eyes widened as the chest tube was brought over, and Clay looked up at him in terror. "Okay....yeah, I know. Hold my hand again, squeeze hard. That's it. Hey, Mom and Dad and the gang are on their way...everyone says to tell you they love you." One nurse carefully brought up Clay's left arm, placing it above his head, causing him to wince, while the other had raised Clay's treatment bed before cleaning the area of his chest where the tube would be inserted.

Even with the anesthetic, Clay grimaced and shut his eyes tightly as the tube was inserted into his side causing him discomfort. His shook his head back and forth as he cried a little, taking in sharp, painful breaths and whimpered. "I know...I know," Justin said softly. "It's almost over....you've got this, it's almost done." Clay looked at his brother, and his eyes said it all: _Please make it stop,_ they pleaded. If Justin could, he would have gladly switched places and absorbed all of the hurt, all of the injuries, do whatever it took to make sure all of the pain would go away. As it was, the best he could do was lean closer so he was at eye level, and stroke Clay's hair tenderly with his free hand. "Hang in there, okay? Please don't cry....I know it hurts," he soothed. "I'm here...I'm not going anywhere."

Clay hissed and whimpered again, this time because the other nurse was in the process of inserting a catheter in order to obtain a urine sample for analysis. So much was happening all at once; he was in pain and sore pretty much everywhere in spite of the morphine that had been administered, and it was starting to become overwhelming.

"There we go. Okay, let's get that mask off of you and get some nasal prongs instead, that way you can talk."

Adjustments were made as the devices were swapped out, and Clay cleared his throat. "That fucking sucked!" he rasped in a feeble and shaky voice. He looked down at his torso, and saw, among the bruises that had formed, the tube sticking out of the left side.

"Yeah, it isn't pleasant, I'm sorry," the doctor sympathetically replied. "Okay, I want you to breathe nice and steady. We'll get some of these cuts cleaned up and take a look at the skin on your hands and legs, make sure the frostbite wasn't too bad."

"I'd ask how you're feeling bro, but I can kinda guess the answer."

Clay nodded and slowly looked back up and over at Justin, then took stock of his body, and everything that had happened to him. He looked at his elevated right foot, where his ankle was swollen and an angry looking reddish purple color. Bruises were already starting to form on different parts of his torso and arms. His leg throbbed. Other parts of his skin that weren't covered by cuts or scrapes and bruising were a combination of red and an almost pale white, owing to the mild case of frostbite that had developed.

"Why?" he asked.

It was all too much. Clay had been beaten up and injured before. But this? This was a whole new experience. "I feel so bad..."

"I know, bro. They're gonna fix you up and you'll be better in no time, you'll see. Then we can celebrate the new year here! No big deal, I'll even go home and get your hat. How does that sound?"

But Clay didn't answer. He was becoming short of breath again and was now lightheaded "Justin....?" Clay asked as his eyes began to flutter and the machines he was hooked up to began to beep and alarm rapidly.

"Tachycardia!" one of the two emergency nurses called out.

"Wait? What? What's going on? What's happening?" Justin cried out. "Clay?"

Carol, the other nurse, took Justin by the arm and began to lead him out. "You'll have to go to the waiting area now, all right? We'll come get you."

"No...no, wait! Clay!"

Another nurse came up and took over as Carol rushed back. "Come on, come with me, I'll walk you there."

"Lidocaine," Dr. Fuller ordered from inside the room. "IV push. Let's get an echocardiogram."

"Clay! No, please! I want to stay with my brother! I promised him, please! What's going on, what's happening??"

"Justin, your brother's heart rate is elevated and irregular..."

"WHAT?"

"The doctor is taking good care of him, all right? It's probably from the shock. Now, it's important for you to stay calm and come with me. Let's go see if your parents are here."

With a kindly smile and a pat on the arm, she walked Justin down the hall and through a set of double doors into the emergency waiting room, where Matt and Lainie had arrived only a minute or two earlier, and were in the process of checking in at the desk.

"Mom? Dad?"

Matt turned, and seeing how pale Justin was, walked over quickly to his son. "What happened? What's wrong?"

"Dad...he...his heart sped up..."

Lainie now joined them, and the nurse explained the circumstances of what had just transpired, and assured them that the doctor would be out shortly and they would more than likely be able to go back and see Clay. Matt and Lainie nodded and thanked the nurse before she walked back.

Justin stared after her. In the direction of the double doors.

Helplessly.

In the direction of Clay.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Mazers!
> 
> Well. Sorry to keep you all in suspense, and it looks like I'm going to do so for just a bit longer, as an extra chapter is going to be added to our story! Lots of medical research went into this one, and I hope I got it right. If not...Ye Writer blames Google, and we'll leave it at that. 'Kay? 'Kay.
> 
> One more to go with this one, and when we return, Justin will have some time with Stanley Keyworth, and the aforementioned happy ending - along with some foreshadowing! -will indeed occur.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading, your kudos and your feedback. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to hearing what you thought. Stay tuned! Clay and Justin and the conclusion (for real this time!) of our New Years story will be coming up soon!


	5. Strength Through Faith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our New Years story concludes!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots and lots and lots of spoiler-ish things for Maze Book Two!
> 
> A couple of special guest stars appear also!

Justin stared at the double doors.

In the direction of Clay.

Who had just gone into shock, and whose heart rate had started to increase rapidly, dangerously, as a result.

"Justin? Son, come on, let's go and sit down."

He didn't reply to Matt. Instead, he put his hands on the back of his head, close to the nape of his neck and fingers interlocked, and continued to stare straight ahead. His breathing became heavier, tears welling in his eyes.

Now Lainie tried. "Honey, it's going to be all right."

He screwed his eyes shut, and he could see Clay looking up at him in pain when they inserted the chest tube; the bruises on different parts of Clay's body; Clay whimpering; Clay calling out to him weakly just prior to his passing out. All he could see was Clay.

Everything around him seemed to start to spin and wobble, as if he was standing on the deck of a ship on rough waters.

Clay had once described to him, in a moment of raw openness and unprompted, what a panic attack feels like. "Imagine walls closing in on you," he explained, "and all the air is being sucked out of that little space you're stuck in, and the walls get closer and closer and it starts to get dark, and you can't breathe....it's fucking scary, like the scariest thing you'll ever experience. And you just go numb." It was one of the symptoms of the PTSD, and while he didn't have them too often, thankfully, there had only been a few of them. Justin had even witnessed one or two, and helped calm Clay down and regulate his breathing.

But he himself had never had a panic attack before.

_The walls are closing in._

He tried to take a step forward, and stumbled. The floor was moving underneath him.

_I can't breathe._

He staggered to his left, over to the wall, practically crashing into a sign that listed in block letters the rights of patients to emergency treatment, as Matt and Lainie rushed over and braced him some.

_This is the scariest fucking thing I've ever experienced._

"It's...this is my fault...it's all my fault!" he managed to choke out.

_Is this what Clay goes through...?_

"What?" Matt asked. "Justin, no....no, it isn't."

Making a fist with his right hand, he began to pound the wall, next to the sign.

"Justin," Lainie said, "Justin...calm down...please, try to calm down."

Slowly, he straightened himself and looked one more time at the double doors. The sound of his mother's voice seemed to lasso him and bring him back, tethering him in reality once more and not the swirl of movement all around him. He could breathe again....but only just. He turned away from the direction of the doors and faced his parents.

"Kiddo...Justin, none of this is your fault, we promise," Matt tried to assure him.

"It...it...it is! If...if I had found him sooner....looked harder....I should have found him faster, and I didn't, and he got hurt and now he's going to die, and it's _all my fault!_ I...I don't want him to die! I can't...he _can't..._ I don't...want...him to..." His voice wobbled and strained as his words stuttered and spilled out on top of themselves, and tears streamed down his cheeks. Red in the face and sniveling now, all of the pent up emotion from the last several hours came pouring out. "I d-d-don't w-want...to...lose...m-muh-my b-big b-broth-er!" he sobbed before covering his face.

Lainie carefully reached up for Justin's hands, taking them in her own, and slowly and gently pulled them down. "Justin? Justin, honey, I want you to listen to me. All right? Clay is _not_ going to die..."

"Buh-b-but...wh-what...if...he...a-and I...nuh-never....g-get to...say...I...I.. luh-love him....a-ag-ain...?"

"Oh, sweetheart...it's all right, he's going to be all right." Lainie wrapped her arms around her son and hugged him. "You're not going to lose your big brother...shhhhh." The fact was, Lainie and Matt were just as upset and just as worried as Justin was and more, being in the situation they found themselves in as parents. Losing a child is one of the  most difficult experiences one can have as a human being. Tachycardia was serious, as was shock, and while she wanted to believe that Clay was going to pull through, there were no absolutes, no certainties. Still, she knew that in this moment, right now, she had to be brave for her younger son, and do for him what she could not do for her oldest: be mom.

She couldn't do that for Justin when he was a little boy, and there was no telling when Amber Foley stopped doing what Lainie was attempting to do right now - if she even bothered to at all.

She wasn't there to kiss a scraped knee or hold his hand; she couldn't be there to rock him to sleep, or have him hold her hand when they went for a walk, or to the park. But she could be there now and try, as best she could, to make it all better.

"I d-don't want h-him...to b-be hurt...."

"He's being taken care of, and they're going to make sure he's all right...you'll see. You need to stay strong for him." She rubbed her hand up and down Justin's back tenderly, as he rested his head on her left shoulder.

"I-I'm tr-try-trying...I'm s-s-sorry...I'm j-just...scared...."

"It's okay to be scared, sweetie, it is. We're scared for him too! But we've all got to stay positive and trust the doctors....and then we'll get to go see him soon and kiss him and hug him, and we can all tell him how much we love him."

He started to cry so hard now that he couldn't speak, and just as Matt joined his wife in stroking Justin's back, several others came running through the emergency room entrance. Greg Davis had driven Jessica, Sheri, and Mrs. Holland to the hospital.

"Oh, God," Jess said under her breath when she saw the state Justin was in, and ran over to him, followed up by the others.

"What is it? What happened?" Sheri asked worriedly. "Clay? Is he..."

Matt looked at her and began to explain. "Sheri, honey....Clay went into shock."

Sheri brought a hand up to her mouth and turned to her mother. "It'll be all right," Mrs. Holland assured as she placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "He's going to come through this, you just believe that. He's a strong young man, he can do this."

Meanwhile, Lainie and Jessica were doing their best to comfort and calm Justin.

"Hey...come on now," Jess reached up and wiped some of the tears off of Justin's cheeks. "He wouldn't want you to be all upset like this, now would he?"  In reply, Justin wrapped one arm around her and the other around Lainie, and brought them close to him. A pseudo group hug, awkward and clumsy, but here were the two women in his life that meant the most to him, and he needed them right now.

"Shhhh...honey, it's okay," Lainie said softly. "It's going to be okay."

Justin nodded, gradually regaining his composure, and slowly stopped crying after a couple of more minutes. Sheri came over and joined them, reaching in to kiss Justin's forehead. "Thank you for finding him," she said in a soft, broken voice.

Matt came back over to the group, and caressed the back of Justin's head. "Kiddo...you were great tonight. You found him and brought him back to all of us. Like I said, we're so proud of you and what you did."

Justin nodded again, letting go of his girlfriend and mother, and wiped his face with his sleeve, before hugging his father.

"Why don't we go to the men's room and get you cleaned up a little? Okay? Splash some water on your face?"

"O-okay....yeah. I'm...I'm sorry."

Greg Davis stepped forward. "How about I take him instead. You and Lainie finish checking Clay in and all the paperwork. We won't be gone long. Come on, Justin." He put a hand on Justin's back and turned him towards the restroom on the far side of the lobby.

 

* * *

 

 

Justin was at a sink.

"Are you all right?" Greg asked him.

"Yeah, I'm....no. No, I'm not." His voice was still shaky, and his breath came in small convulsions as an aftereffect of his breakdown.

"That's understandable. If I was in your shoes right now, and it was my brother that had gone missing? I don't think I'd be all right, either.

Having cupped his hand, Justin brought it up and splashed the cool water that had filled it over his face, which refreshed and helped calm him down some more. "I lost my shit." Sighing, he paused and rephrased his words. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that in front of you. I mean...I couldn't keep it together anymore."

Greg nodded. "Normally I'd ask that you watch your language, particularly because you're dating my daughter. But I think in this case, I can make an exception. It's fine."

Now it was Justin's turn to nod as he turned off the faucet and stood up straight. "Okay. I'm sorry you had to see that out there, too."

Greg pulled some paper towels from the dispenser. "Why are you apologizing?"

"Because...like I just said, I lost it, and you came in and saw me bawling like a baby." Sniffing, he ran a hand over his face one last time.

"And you...what? Think that makes you less of a man or something?"

"Huh? No. I...kinda cry easily I guess, and I sort of hate it, but never like that. I just....I couldn't control it." He held out a hand for the paper towels, but Greg wouldn't hand them over yet.

"Your father is a little preoccupied right now, but seeing as how I'm a father also, I'm going to act _in loco parentis_ here for just a minute."

While still shaky, Justin had indeed calmed down, and was now confused by what Greg had said. "You're....going to go loco on me? Mr. Davis, I thought we were better now, and..."

"Lord, give me patience," Greg said as he rolled his eyes. "Are you familiar with the Book of Ecclesiastes, Justin?"

"That's...in the Bible?"

"It is. In Chapter Three, it says, 'There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.' Verse four: 'A time to weep, and a time to laugh.' Your tears just now, and anytime you've shed your tears, make _you_ a part of who _you_ are. You go ahead and cry for your brother! There's no shame in that! A man, Justin, a real man, will _never_ be afraid to cry and show his feelings. Don't _ever_ hate the fact that you can cry." He handed the towels over now. "You did a brave and honorable thing tonight, and you stepped up when you needed to do so. And _in_ doing so, you held in your own fears about your brother and bottled them up. But do you think you were supposed to hold those in forever?"

"No. No, I guess not."

"Of course not. And it's fine to 'not be all right' right now. But I heard a little of what your parents said to you out there, and they're right. You need to stay strong, and most of all, you need to have faith. Strength without faith means nothing. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah...yeah, it does. Thanks, Mr. Davis. I appreciate that."

Greg nodded. "If you're ready, let's go back and join the others now."

"Okay. And, thanks again....guess I'm not such a bad guy after all, huh?" Justin smiled a little.

Greg turned and looked back before he reached the door. "Well," he sighed, "part of me says don't push your luck, part of me says maybe to give you a break....and part of me says...no, you're not a bad guy after all. Not like the man you were before. Just remember part number one the most, though, and don't you _ever_ say I admitted that just now to Jessica or I'll deny it all."

Having said that, Greg Davis actually smiled at Justin. A genuine smile.

 

* * *

 

**4:17am**

The nurse who had accompanied Justin to the waiting area had come and gone again, but she had brought encouraging news to everyone: Clay was stable, responding to treatment well, and the doctor would be out as soon as she could to update everyone further on his condition. Zach, Alex and Tony had arrived, and were brought up to date, and Cyrus made it shortly thereafter. When he had come through the Emergency Department entrance, Alex stood up as quickly as he could, considering that being outside in the cold made his leg ache like hell, and limped over to his boyfriend, surprising him with an embrace and kiss.

"Whoa...not that I don't love being greeted like this, but everything okay?" Cyrus asked, caught a little off guard by this unexpected show of affection.

Alex nodded and hugged him again. "I just...needed to hold you right now is all. Being out there, looking for him, waiting....I was worried about him, but all I could think of was, what if it was you that went missing. I don't..."

"I thought the same thing about you, 'Lex. Come on, fill me in." Cyrus took his hand and led him back over to the chairs and couches, and they sat with the others.

As the "Scoobies" encouraged each another, and especially Justin, the parents gave them their space, huddled off to the side and spoke to one another in hushed tones.

"I'll know more once he's up to talking about it later today," Bill Standall explained, "but from what Clay was able to tell the paramedics, the driver of the car swerved and hit him deliberately."

"My God....did he see who the driver was?" Sheri's mother asked.

"I'm not sure, but that's one of the questions I have for him."

"So, someone hit my son purposely. He was targeted."

"Lainie, we don't have enough information to say for certain that-"

"Bill. I'm an officer of the court, and you're an officer of the law. Let's not kid each other, all right? There was a scene investigation going on at the same time as the rescue, we both saw it. Were there skid marks? was the guardrail damaged?"

"No, to both."

"All right then. So this wasn't accidental, and while I'll concede the possibility that it was a drunk driver, there's no evidence to support that. Correct?"

"Correct, counselor."

"Then my son was targeted."

"Lane," Matt now chimed in, "for all we know this was some kid joyriding, saw Clay running, maybe wanted to scare him and got too close. We shouldn't jump to conclusions just yet."

"I supervised some investigations a few times in the Air Force," Greg said. "and without hard evidence, it's impossible to say for certain. Not until Clay is able to tell everyone what happened."

Alex watched the parents. He couldn't hear the conversation, but he saw the body language, the looks on their faces. They were talking about what happened, who did it, and most importantly, why. What did his dad find out, if anything, he wondered. Were they able to get any new information? Those thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Cyrus talking to himself, and it was just loud enough for Alex to pick up:

" _Mi Sheberach, Avoteinu: Avraham, Yitzhak, v’Yaakov, v’Imoteinu: Sarah, Rivka, Rachel v’Leah, Hu yivarech virapei et hacholeh Clay ben Matthew_ …"

"Cy? Are you...summoning a demon?"

"What? No," Cyrus laughed. "I'm praying for Clay. It's Hebrew."

"How do you....wait, you're Jewish?"

"More like half-Jewish. My mom's side. I haven't been to Temple in forever, but I remember a lot. I just figured Clay could use all the help he could get right now," he shrugged.

"How did I not know this?"

"So all the times I politely turned down going to church with you, it never occurred to you to ask why?"

Now Alex shrugged. "I dunno. I just figured you were content being a heathen."

"Well, that's true, yeah."

"Um. You can...finish if you'd like. I don't mind. And...I'd kind of like to hear it? It sounds sort of beautiful, in a haunting kind of way."

"It really should be sung, but I don't think whomever is up there and listening will mind if I just say it instead." Cyrus kissed Alex's cheek before continuing: " _HaKadosh Baruch Hu yimalei rachamim alav_..."

Meanwhile, Zach turned to Sheri. "You know, for as often as we're here, there should probably be a Jensen wing in this place."

"Oh God, can you just imagine?" Sheri laughed. "They'd be fighting over who got which half, and how it should be decorated. Clay would want all kinds of comic books and his fantasy stuff."

"And Justin would want posters of girls and basketball players. Hell, probably a basketball court, because why not, right?"

"And then Clay would complain because Justin would, some way, some how, figure a way to practice free throws while being treated for something!"

Zach laughed along with her. "Hey. For real, though. How're you holding up?"

Sheri sighed and folded her hands in her lap, and looked down at them. "I'm...okay. Not great, but okay. I'll feel so much better when I can talk to him, you know? Like, if I had just...if _we_ had just talked this out. I can't help but feel responsible."

"Well, you're _not_ responsible. The only one responsible is the jackass who was driving that car." Zach went into big brother mode, and put an arm around her. "If I know Clay, and I like to think I've really gotten to know him well, he'll say the same thing to you. He's going to be so happy to see you, you know? Please don't blame yourself, he wouldn't want that. None of us do. Okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, Zach," Sheri kissed his cheek. "He's lucky to have you as such a good friend."

"Not as lucky as we are to have him."

Justin sat in between Tony and Jessica, biting his thumbnail, legs bouncing. Jess was rubbing his back.

"You know," Tony observed, "you're doing _exactly_ what he did when you were here for appendicitis? Like, to the letter, right down to the legs."

"Uh huh."

"Is there a Jensen mental superhighway or something?" Jess teased.

"Uh huh."

"He said that a lot, too."

"Uh huh."

"Do you have a Justin hole you've wandered down?" That one caused Jess to smile a little.

"Uh huh."

"I hear Mr. and Mrs. J signed him up for a sex change operation, too."

"Uh hu....wait, the fuck?"

"Just making sure you're still with us, Justin."

As Justin was about to reply, the double doors opened at last, and Dr. Fuller came out. "Mr. and Mrs. Jensen?"

Matt and Lainie stood up, as did Justin.

"I'm Doctor Kelly Fuller, very nice to meet you," she shook hands with the parents as the Jensens came over to meet her. "I've been treating Clay. I'm so sorry it's taken so long to come and update you, I've been working with a couple of other patients as well. Why don't you come with me and I'll explain what's been going on. Brother Justin, how about you come along also?"

She led the trio back into the emergency ward and to a small consultation room. "All right, let's sit down. Can I get you anything, have the nurse bring in something to drink?"

Lainie shook her head. "No, Doctor, thank you. I'm sure we'll have coffee by the gallon throughout the day. How's Clay, please?"

"All right, so, Clay did go into shock and experienced tachycardia, which elevated his heart rate, as you know. But we got it under control with medication, there was no need for electrical conversion. I've checked his heart via echocardiogram, and it's perfectly fine, no damage. I'm satisfied that this was solely due to the shock, and my diagnosis was confirmed by the cardiologist on call. So, I don't believe there's going to be another cardiac incident."

"Thank God," Matt breathed a sigh of relief.

"He's under sedation and sleeping, simply as a precaution and to let him rest. With everything he experienced, he really needed some sleep right now, to give his body a chance to sort of calm itself and start to heal. So, let's run down the injuries, and there are quite a few of them. He's responding very well to treatment so far, and his lung is reinflating. I've put in an order for an MRI on his left wrist for later today to see how severely it's sprained, and as soon as some of the swelling goes down, orthopedics will take a second look at his ankle. The frostbite was largely superficial, but there's one or two spots that we're going to keep an eye on and treat with antibiotics. I'm also confident that the injury to his leg is a bone bruise, and that's going to be the most painful and take the longest to heal."

"Will he require surgery of any kind?" Lainie asked.

Dr. Fuller shook her head. "I don't anticipate a surgical procedure. Removal of his chest tube can be done at his bedside, and will only take a few minutes. Now, his temperature is a little elevated and his throat is pretty red, and that's from how long he was exposed to the cold air. We'll keep a close watch for things like the flu, bronchitis, or pneumonia."

"And you ruled out a concussion, correct?" Matt inquired. "He had one in the spring that was pretty bad."

"Correct, my neurological assessment ruled that out. Now, he's going to be here for a few days, and he's going to be very sore, but I don't see why he wouldn't make a complete recovery. He's pretty bruised up right now, and it's not pretty, but it won't be anything permanent. In fact the chest tube scar will hardly be noticeable."

"He....he won't be able to go run for awhile. Will he? He really got to love running, you know?" Justin explained. "First with me, and then - he was on our cross country team, and he placed really high a lot of times, you should have seen him! He made it to Regionals and....oh. Sorry. I guess that's not important right now. I'm rambling."

"Brother Justin, it's fine," Dr. Fuller smiled. "But, you're right. Clay won't be able to run for at least several weeks, maybe longer than that. It depends on how quickly his leg and ankle heal, and there is the possibility he may have to do some physical therapy. But, give it some time and he'll lace up his running shoes again."

Lainie nodded. "When will he get a room?"

"Well....I'd like to keep him down here for a few more hours for observation, but later this morning, no later than noon, we'll get him admitted and upstairs."

"Can we see him?" Matt asked. "I know you said he's asleep, but..."

"Certainly. Family only for right now, though. Once he's in a room, he can have as many guests as he likes for as long as he likes."

She led the family down to the treatment room, where a nurse was adjusting Clay's IV. "I'll leave you alone. Mr. and Mrs. Jensen, I'm going to keep an eye on him, don't worry," Dr. Fuller assured. "And Brother Justin here did a fantastic job earlier," she winked at him. "If you have any questions, please feel free to ask for me at the desk." Dr. Fuller smiled at the family once more and walked out of the room.

Lainie stepped forward to the left side of the bed and looked at her oldest. Clay was covered up to his waist, so as not to interfere with the chest tube, and his head tilted to his right as he slept. The nasal prongs were still in place, the machines hummed and beeped, his chest rose and fell steadily. "I always loved watching him sleep. He looks so peaceful when he does."

Matt came up and wrapped an arm around her. "Just like when he was a little boy."

"Those bruises...my God, Matt. It's a miracle he survived."

"It is. But they won't be there forever. Clay's strong, he'll bounce back from this."

Lainie nodded and leaned over, brushing her hair back, and kissed Clay's cheek. "I love you, Clay. We'll see you in a little while," she whispered. Matt took his turn and repeated the actions of his wife.

"Justin? Are you all right honey?" Lainie asked as they turned to leave.

"Yeah...I'll be there in a few minutes, meet you guys in the waiting room."

He came over and rubbed the back of his hand on Clay's cheek, which caused him to sigh in his sleep. That made Justin smile, because to him, it was a sign that Clay knew someone was there with him, and was comforting him. Then he leaned down and kissed Clay's forehead.

There was a stool off to the side and behind him, and he pulled it over and sat down next to the bed. Just as he had done earlier, he gently stroked Clay's hair.

"Hey....hey, Clay, it's JJ. Happy New Year, big bro." He spoke in a hushed tone, for the conversation, though one sided, was for them and them alone. "So...yeah. I know. You call me that, and I call you my little bro. And I love that we do that, and I love being 'big bro' to you. But I love that you're my big brother even more, Clay. And you're the best one in the whole world. I don't deserve you. You really scared me tonight, you know? And...like, I know it's not your fault, it isn't. But I was really, really scared. I still am."

Justin closed his eyes and sighed before continuing.

"Everyone is here. Well, except Scott and Courtney, but we'll get ahold of them later. Ryan, too, we'll let him know what's going on. I can't wait to talk to you when you wake up. I hate that you have all this shit hooked up to you, because I really need to give you a hug. But, I guess I can wait a little longer. I love you, Clay. Very much." He stood up and kissed Clay's cheek before leaving.

Justin returned to the waiting room and saw several happier and relieved faces looking back at him. He kissed and hugged Jess, and as he did so, Zach came up from behind and wrapped his long arms around them. Then, Tony came over and hugged from the left side, as Sheri took the right. Alex leaned on Cyrus a little as they came over and wiggled their way in. "Make room," Alex said to Tony.

"Nope. Got here first."

Alex made puppy dog eyes.

"You think that's going to work on me? Really? I'm not your boyfr...okay, it worked, get in here."

"C'mere, Cy, squeeze in by me," Sheri smiled as she made room.

"Mine." Zach smiled as he squeezed Justin and Jess a little closer, and leaned down to kiss the top of Justin's head.

"Nope. Mine." Now Jess was hugging Justin tighter, and kissed him again quickly.

"N'uh uh. Mine." Alex held onto Justin's sweatshirt, and kissed his left cheek.

Justin laughed. "Geez, you guys..."

"Mine, too." Sheri kissed his right cheek.

"Sure, why not. Mine." Cyrus kissed Justin's chin, the only thing he could reach at the moment.

"Don't think you're getting a kiss from me, Little Jensen. But, yeah. Mine, too."

"Thanks guys," Justin said quietly as he tried not to cry again. "Love you all. I....we, me and Clay....we couldn't do this without you."

The parents, meanwhile, watched on in a combination of pride, love, and bemusement. "Our children can be a little....what's the word I'm looking for here?" Bill asked.

"Weird?" Greg asked.

"But in a good way."

 

* * *

 

**6:15am**

Carolyn Standall had arrived for her shift, but before getting to work, she arranged for pillows and blankets to be brought to the waiting room for the Gang, who arranged themselves in various positions, while still huddled together.  Alex cuddled up to Cyrus, who wrapped his arms around him, and fell right asleep, head resting on his upper chest. While they were all tired, he was a little more exhausted than the rest, owing to his unique circumstances. Zach and pulled a second chair in front of him to stretch his long legs, and was to the right of the boyfriends. Sheri arranged a pillow on his left arm and side and leaned into it. Next to her, Tony had copied Zach's strategy, sharing a rather large blanket with Jess, who curled onto a chair and leaned a little towards Justin - the only one still awake.

Or, trying to stay awake.

"Honey," Lainie whispered, "it's fine. You can sleep, too."

"I wanna stay 'wake in case..." His head fell forward and then snapped back, and he blinked a few times. "Need to for Clay."

"We'll wake everyone up if we hear anything or if they're moving him. You need some rest."

"Maybe jus' a nap..."

"Close your eyes. We'll wake you up, I promise."

"'Kay...thanks, mom."

Eyes closed, his head leaned over so that it rested gently next to Jessica's, and he was out. Lainie went to the row across from the Gang, and sat next to Matt and Greg. "You should try to get a little sleep, too," Matt said. "We can take turns."

"You both should get some sleep. I'll keep watch," Greg offered. "If there's one thing the military taught me well, it's how to hurry up and wait and stay awake while doing it."

"Greg, you don't have to-"

"It's fine, really. Besides, these....two year old magazines look fascinating. Did you see these hair styles that are the in thing for 2017? Take a catnap, I'm on watch."

"Thank you, Greg," Lainie smiled. "Really. You all have been so wonderful through all of this."

"My pleasure."

 

* * *

 

 

**8:45am**

"Justin."

"Mmph."

"Justin...I have to use the bathroom."

"Mhmm."

"No, Justin...tiger, you need to wake up so I can get up and go," Jess chuckled. Her boyfriend had at some point not only leaned over completely, but had essentially wrapped himself around her.

"Okay."

"Justin, come on," she now began to tickle under his arm a little.

"Yaa! Okay, I'm up!" he cried, untangling himself and sitting up. "Mmmm...what time is it?"

"Almost nine. Let me freshen up a little and I'll see about getting everyone some coffee, maybe Sheri and I can make a Monet's run with Zach."

Justin stretched and looked around him as Jess got up and went to the restroom. The others were still sleeping. Matt was talking to Greg while Lainie continued to nap. To his left was an empty chair, and next to that a blonde haired woman sat scrolling through her phone. Looking up and over, she caught Justin's eye.

"Good morning," she said with a friendly smile. "It looks like you all are on a field trip."

"Yeah, I guess it does at that," Justin laughed as he rubbed his eyes. "Morning."

"Someone important you're all waiting on?"

"My brother. He was...well, I guess you could say he was in an accident, kinda. It's a long story. Been a long night."

"Sounds that way. My name is Donna," she extended her hand.

"Justin," he reciprocated. "Nice to meet you. Is everything...are you...I'm sorry, I shouldn't pry."

"No, it's fine. My husband, who still thinks he's your age, insisted on crossing a snowboarding trip off of his bucket list and wound up doing something to his ankle. I finally convinced him to get it looked at and had a friend of ours meet us here and he's back there with him now."

"Huh. That's weird."

Donna tilted her head. "That our friend met us here?"

"Oh, no, not that. My brother...he broke his ankle, too. And a bunch of other stuff is, like, hurt."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that."

"Thanks. They say he'll be okay, he's just....really beat up."

As Donna was about to ask something else, the double doors opened and her husband, walking on crutches, came out with their friend.

".....I tried to tell her it wasn't a big deal. It's only a sprain. I diagnosed it myself."

"So why did the doctor insist you walk on crutches then for a few days?" Stanley Keyworth asked.

"Well...it's a high sprain? But I was still right."

"Josh, you're not an adolescent anymore."

"Stanley, the kids are still young enough that if I didn't do this now, we would....oh....Camp Sleepaway is still crashed out." Josh lowered his voice as they came over.

"Doctor Keyworth?"

"Hello, Justin," Stanley smiled.

"I wondered why you were talking to that gentlemen when we came in," Josh pointed towards Matt who was looking on and nodded his head in greeting. "Figures you would know everyone in this town. Hi. Josh Lyman. I'd shake your hand, but I'd throw my center of gravity off, and I don't want to topple forward." He looked at Stanley. "Did I ever tell you about the hour and a half lecture I got from Bartlett on gravity? I'm sort of an expert now thanks to him. It was the night we passed the appropriations bill that had more funding for NASA, and..."

"Josh," Donna interrupted. "Stop talking. We're getting breakfast. You're buying."

"They....have a cafeteria. Wanna get that?"

"Real breakfast, Josh." She stood up and smiled at Justin again. "I hope your brother is going to be all right. It was very nice meeting you." Justin stood as well and shook her hand again. "Thank you," he replied.

"I'll meet up with you two for lunch, my treat," Stanley told his friends. "Stay off the foot, Josh."

"See you later, Stanley. Thanks for coming. So, Donna. Gravity." They walked away from the group. "Gravity is responsible for what happened to me on the slopes..."

"Stop talking, Josh."

"Why does he remind me of Clay a little?" Justin asked.

"Probably because he is like Clay a little. Just an older version. How are you, Justin? Your dad clued me in when we got here."

"A little tired. Okay, a lot tired."

"Yeah. That's understandable. But....how are you, Justin? C'mon, sit down with me for a minute." Stanley led him over to another set of chairs, away from from the others. Matt nodded with encouragement at his son.

"Why do I feel like I'm going to get a quick therapy session?" Justin asked as he sat down.

"Probably because you are. Free of charge, to boot. More like a friendly chat."

"So...you're going to act...um, what's it called? In loco parentheses?"

" _Parentis_. And if you'd like to think of it that way, sure, why not. So. Your Dad told me you were pretty shaken up by all this."

"Well, I mean...yeah, wouldn't you be?"

"True," Stanley nodded. "He also told me that it looked like you had a panic attack. Have you ever had one before?"

Justin shook his head and looked down. "No. I was...I got really scared. And, I guess like...sad? Because he got hurt and because I didn't do enough to help him."

"Well. Those feelings are natural enough, considering the situation. And I think it's important that you accept them and work through them. So you say you feel as if you didn't do enough to help Clay. Okay, let's process this a little. You found him though, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Made sure he got here safely, you came with him."

"Right."

"And you're here with all of your friends."

"Yes."

"Okay. So what else did you think you were supposed to do?"

"I...I don't know, really. But I still feel like it wasn't enough."

"Justin, one of the things Clay and I talk about a lot....and I can't reveal everything, confidentiality and all...is how he can't try and fix everything and everyone, and I'd say he's gotten better with that. Not perfect, but better. Do you think that when it comes to Clay, you sort of subconsciously feel the same way?"

"I mean....yeah, kinda? In a way. I want to protect him, you know?"

"Why?"

"I'm his brother."

"You are," Stanley nodded again. "But is there any other reason?"

"Because....because...." he looked off at the opposite wall. "No one protected me. And I wanna make sure all the bad shit that happened to me never happens to anyone else. And especially to Clay. The stuff that happened. To me. It...it was..."

"I know a little bit about it. Not much, just what your parents have told me. I think that's a natural response on your part, as was the panic attack. Justin, I think you've got a lot of unresolved things bubbling inside of you, and I'm not sure you've been able to confront these feelings. Have you ever talked to anyone about your past, what you experienced?"

"A little bit, with my folks. Clay, of course, he actually knows a lot more than they do. My drug counselor."

"But not a therapist."

Justin shook his head.

"Would you like to?"

"I....maybe? So, like, Clay gets all worked up sometimes before he goes to see you. But when he comes home, or I pick him up? It's like he's a different person. Like he's...happier, almost? He told me one time that it's like it's like all kinds of weight is just gone or whatever."

"Well, how about you give it a try. I'll make you a deal. When Clay gets out of the hospital, give me a call and we'll set up an appointment. I'll talk to your dad about making it a freebie, as a late Christmas present. I think it would do you some good."

"Yeah. Yeah, okay. I think...I think I might like that."

"Great. And listen. It's perfectly normal to be scared right now, and to be upset. What I want you to try and do for these next couple days, is when you do feel that way, to talk it out with someone. All of those people over there, under that swarm of blankets? From what Clay has told me, that's an amazing support group he has. It is for you, also. Talk to your parents. Or, if you really want to, call me. But the longer you keep things inside, the worse you're going to feel, and that won't help you _or_ Clay, and he does need you right now. From what little I've learned about you, from what Clay and your mom and dad have said, I know that you try to treat others with kindness and respect. You have to remember to do that for yourself, also....just like Clay had to learn that in some ways. If you feel like a panic attack is coming on again, try the breathing techniques we talked about with Clay. All right?"

"Yeah, all right. Hey...thanks, Dr. Keyworth, really. For taking the time and all."

"It's Stanley, and you're welcome."

"Um, one last thing about Clay. He told me, when we found him...he was hearing the locker again."

"That's from the PTSD, and what happened to him triggered it. Thanks for letting me know, I'll check in on him in a day or so also then."

"Okay. Thanks again. Stanley."

 

* * *

 

**1:35pm**

Clay was finally in a room, and while awake he was still somewhat groggy and was uncomfortable. Some more pain medication had just been administered, and it would kick in shortly. But his friends, brother and parents were in the room with him, and that went a long way in lifting his spirits.

"Hi Princess," he said to Sheri, who had come up to take his hand.

"Hey there Handsome Guy."

"Heh. Not quite so handsome at the moment, huh? I just want to....Sheri, I'm really, really sorry about what I said. I didn't mean it. I hope you can forgive me."

"I'm sorry, too, Clay. I overreacted. From now on, let's talk things out and not go away mad. Okay? Right now, all that matters is that you get better."

"Okay." She kissed his lips gently and leaned back up.

"I swear, I need to keep you on one of those child leash things like for kids at the mall," Tony joked as he came up on Clay's left.

"Yeah, but then you'd have gone over the side with me, so....maybe not?"

"Yeah. Maybe not." Tony smiled.

"Thanks again for finding me. All of you. I'm really sorry I worried everyone."

"Dude," Zach interrupted, "not your fault at all. Don't even try to apologize. You're back with us, that's the important thing."

"You know," Alex said, "I still have a couple of canes at home. I can bedazzle one for real this time and let you borrow it."

"Nah," Cyrus disagreed, shaking his head. "It needs to be hardcore, just like Clay is. Flames and skulls."

"You're both wrong." Jess took Tony's place at Clay's side and kissed his cheek. "Superhero stickers. Lots of Spider Man."

"And Iron Man. And The Flash!" Justin agreed, eyes lighting up.

"Yes. Superhero ones. Totally," Clay nodded and agreed.

"All right people, we should let the Jensens have a happy reunion, and I don't know about any of you all but I need a shower and a change of clothes, desperately. We'll be back later this evening, okay _hermanito_?"

" _Oui, grand frère_."

"Do you two have your own best friend secret language or something?" a confused Justin asked. "Like, decoder rings and all that?"

"How have you made it this far without taking a language, Justin?" Alex asked as he walked with Cyrus out of the room.

"Luck?"

Lainie sat on the bed next to Clay as the others left the room. "How're you feeling, sweetheart?"

"Tired. Achy. Pain? How many ways are there to say crappy? But, like...better now that you're all here."

"Well, we're better now also, son. Now that we have you back with us."

"Thanks, dad. Hey...little brother. C'mere."

Justin walked up to Clay's side. "What happened to 'big bro'?"

"Let's just say you don't talk as quietly as you think you do sometimes. Hey....thank you. Not just for finding me, but for being you, always watching out for me. Being strong for me."

"That, and having faith, too, right? Love you big brother."

"Love you too. Big little bro."

 

* * *

 

**Thursday, January 3, 2019  
**

**Epilogue One**

 

Tony had walked up to Clay's hospital room and was about to walk in, when he stopped as he heard the conversation going on inside.

"Mom, it itches!"

"Honey, I know it itches, but you have to leave it alone. It's just a tiny scar, stop acting like it's the end of the world."

"Mom, it's _not_ the end of the world...it just itches, and it's driving me crazy!"

"Clayton Nicholas, if you don't stop reaching over to scratch at that bandage, I swear, I will put a brace on your other hand."

"UGH!"

Grinning, he turned and knocked on the open door before coming in. "Afternoon. What's all this about Clay needing another brace?"

Clay and Lainie looked over as Tony, who was carrying a shopping bag, walked into the room. Clay's left wrist and hand had a black brace on it, keeping it immobile; a larger brace was also wrapped around his upper left leg; finally, a Cam Walker Fracture Boot enveloped his right foot and leg, and came up just under his knee. He was still bruised up and very sore, but the frostbite was healing nicely. The chest tube had been removed yesterday, as his lung had fully reinflated, but he still took some shallow breaths every so often, owing to the cracked ribs.

"Clay's being a big baby because his chest tube scar is itchy." Justin was sitting in a chair, reading the latest issue of The Flash.

"Okay....a) I am _not_ being a big baby, and b) Tony....do I smell....is that your mom's carnitas?"

"It is indeed. Along with homemade tortillas and pico."

"Oh my God, yes, please! The hospital food is...all kinds of not good. I hope you brought plates and forks and...."

"Well. I don't think you should get any."

"Wait. What? Why not?"

"Are you going to stop scratching at that bandage and listen to your mother?"

Clay was about to say something, but thought the better of it, and slowly brought his right hand back over and to his side. "Yes. Okay. Happy?"

"Very. And yes, I brought plates and forks, and yes, I brought enough for everyone. Let's have lunch."

 

* * *

 

 

**Epilogue Two**

 

".....and in other news, an update of a local story we brought you first on News Center 32, the young man who was rescued from a hillside early on New Years Day continues to recover from his injuries. Hospital officials say that eighteen year old Clay Jensen should be released within another day or so. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the county Sheriffs Department says they are confident that Jensen had been hit intentionally by a passing car, but refused to release any further information at this time. We'll have a check of the local weather, after this."

The phone rang next to the man watching the television in the ramshackle apartment. Grunting in frustration, he put the hypodermic down on the table and looked at the caller ID.

"Fucking great," he said under his breath before answering. "Yeah?"

"Did you see the news?"

"Yeah, I just did. So what?"

"So what? You were reckless and _stupid_ that's so what! He was too obvious of a target to begin with, he was lower on the list, and now it'll be all the more difficult, you _idiot._ To say nothing of the fact that we agreed, there would be no killing!"

"Yeah? Tell that to..."

"That was your business, not mine. Shut up and listen. You're lucky. We're lucky. My sources tell me he wasn't able to give a good description of the car. I suggest you be more careful from here on out and _stick to the goddamn plan_!"

"All right, all right. Fine. Look, I saw an opportunity and I took it. When is my next payment coming? Hello? You there? Ahhh, fuck. Asshole rich fucker."

Seth Massey hung up the phone and tossed it to his side before picking the needle back up.

"I'll do this my way. Allllll his little foundations will crack."

 

_To be continued in "A Maze of Moments - Book Two" coming Spring 2019_

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it, the conclusion of this story (finally!) and the conclusion of the 2018-2019 Holiday Trilogy (finally!!)!
> 
> Hi Mazers! Welcome back once more! 
> 
> The original plan that Ye Writer cooked up for this story was going to be strictly the Clay and Sheri argument, in the context of New Years. But then, another plot bunny jumped into my head, and it was just too good to pass up. That meant a one shot became three chapters....then four....and finally (!!!) five. The events you've read in the Holiday Trilogy will fit in with Maze Two, and will be woven into that narrative. Senior year is going to be quite the adventure! What have we learned so far? Well, we know Justin has some good friends at his job, he and Clay wear glasses or contacts now, Justin is into The Flash, Clay is all about Spider Man, Greg Davis seems to....not hate Justin as much lol, Amber has been mentioned a couple of times for some reason (hmmm...I wonder why?)......
> 
> .....and for the first time in the Mazeverse, Seth is here.
> 
> Hoo boy.
> 
> It's gonna be a wild ride. But I pinky swear promise that there will be plenty of funny and light chapters mixed in with the drama as well. And, unlike Maze One, there's no plan - at the moment anywho - to put a limit on how long it will be. More than twenty five chapters, you ask? Oh, I can guarantee that!
> 
> This chapter saw a brief appearance by Josh Lyman and Donna Moss Lyman (I mean, c'mon, they had to have gotten married, right?), also from "The West Wing." My fellow author Horatiofrog? That's for you, my dear! 
> 
> What's next? Well, I'll be getting back to "Times Past" and "This Time" for sure! Be on the lookout for some new chapters over at those stories, as we go back to the past and the continued build up to Maze Two.
> 
> So, I hope you enjoyed this story and all of the Holiday Trilogy. Thank you so much for reading! As always, I look forward to your feedback and comments, and I appreciate your kudos. Don't forget that I'm over at Tumblr if you'd like to chat!
> 
> Stay tuned, Mazers! Clay and Justin will return, very soon! Take care!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi Mazers! Welcome back!
> 
> Hoo boy. 
> 
> Yeah, this one is *not* what you all expected that it was going to be, now was it?
> 
> Something has happened to Clay while he was out on a run, and boy is he in a jam. 
> 
> How did we get here? What happened between him and Sheri? Where *is* Justin anyway? 
> 
> Some of the answers to these questions will be answered on Monday! So stay tuned, Clay and Justin will return then! Looking forward to, as always, your comments and feedback!


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